Claude Frollo, "Notre Dame Cathedral": image, characteristics, description. The Hunchback of Notre Dame fandom Judge Frollo and Esmeralda

Judge Claude Frollo completely recovered from the torture, and three months later his wedding with Esmeralda was scheduled. When he appeared in Notre Dame Cathedral to discuss this issue with the archdeacon, and, at the same time, to discuss what Claude should do to restore the destruction he had caused in the Cathedral, the archdeacon, with cunningly shining eyes, asked the judge: - And you, my son , do you happen to know about the fate of the son of a gypsy Godyavir? - Why should I be aware of the life of some gypsy ragamuffin? Frollo asked warily. “Well, no one has seen him since the very moment you showed up in Paris,” the archdeacon replied smiling. Claude realized that denying it was useless. - How do you understand, holy father? - My son, I have a very good memory for faces. At first I saw something very familiar in the gypsy Bakhtalo. Then I looked closer and realized it was you. I was very surprised that you became a gypsy, considering how you treated them all this time. But you don't have to worry about that. I don't intend to voice my thoughts to anyone. - I am very grateful to you, holy father. And don't worry about Godyavir. Esmeralda and I visit her regularly and help her. The archdeacon nodded. - Good. Let's now discuss the costs of restoring the Cathedral. In honor of the upcoming wedding, a reception was given at the house of Judge Frollo. Esmeralda was nervous. “I'm afraid of all these people, Bakhtalo,” she said to Claude. All these rich men and women make me nervous. “My child, you will outshine all these women,” the judge encouraged her. - And men will grind their teeth with envy, because you are so beautiful. And then, I'll be there all the time, you have nothing to worry about. Just don't call me by that name in front of them. Otherwise, I'm afraid Godyavir may have unnecessary problems for her. Claude was wrong about one thing - the men did not grind their teeth, looking at Esmeralda. They were in awe. The women gritted their teeth, who could not find a flaw either in the appearance of the gypsy, or in her outfit, or in her behavior, because Claude had been teaching her all this time how to behave in society. Captain de Chateaupert and his wife were also at this reception. Phoebus did not take his eyes off Esmeralda. She was truly magnificent, she directly beamed with happiness and beauty. He looked dejectedly at Fleur, who had long since grown tired of him. With Fleur it was terribly boring, besides, she had become very ugly lately. And her stupidity caused such a yawn in him that his eyes watered. Esmeralda did not seem to notice Phoebus. She was equally sweet and friendly with all the guests. After a while, when she and Claude had already managed to go around and greet the people gathered in their house, she whispered softly to the judge: - God, Claude, it's been so little time, and I already feel like a squeezed lemon. “I understand you, my dear,” he answered just as quietly. - I myself am not delighted with these gatherings, but it is necessary that the king be sure that I am clean before him. However, the guests are not deprived of attention, they are busy with each other, and this house is full of secluded places. If you want ... - I really want! I want silence! Even a little. Claude pulled her along. Phoebus saw that the judge and his bride were going somewhere, and decided to follow them. He followed them. The judge and Esmeralda slipped into a room. The door was slightly ajar, and Phoebus peered through the crack. What he saw made him freeze like a pillar of salt. The judge pinned Esmeralda against the wall and kissed her passionately. And the worst thing - she eagerly answered him! Her hands fluttered over his body, caressing his broad shoulders, squeezing his buttocks, making a low, guttural sound escape the judge's throat. Esmeralda nevertheless noticed some movement behind the door. “There is someone outside the door,” she whispered, feeling that the judge was starting to get so excited that he was ready to take her right next to this wall. So she moaned loudly, "We can't do this now, my love!" We're not married yet! - God, still so long to endure! the referee muttered, accepting the game and moving away from Esmeralda. Phoebus, burning with jealousy, hastened to run away to the hall to his hateful wife. And how could he be such a fool and prefer this pale mouse to Esmeralda?! He lay in wait for Esmeralda when she walked out onto the balcony alone. “Well, hello, Esmeralda,” he said, to somehow start a conversation. - Phoebus? she frowned. - What are you doing here? Won't your wife look for you? "She'll think I'm just lost in this whole crowd," Phoebus waved casually. - I'm interested in something else. Why did you start to justify Frollo so zealously? He tried to kill you, remember? - And it's none of your business, Phoebus. I wanted to justify, and justified. Showed mercy. - And you marry him, too, out of mercy? Oh, I forgot, this is a royal order, - Phoebus grinned. - Well, how do you get married on someone's orders? - Wonderful! Esmeralda smiled radiantly. - And even if the king had not ordered the judge to marry me, I would still agree! - If you're doing this to get back at me... - Get back? You? - Esmeralda's face showed bewilderment. - And what do you have to do with it, Phoebus? Do you really think that the whole world revolves around you? I assure you that it is not. I'm marrying a judge because I want to. "I don't believe you really want to be with that old man!" - growled Phoebus and immediately grinned. - Yeah, I think I get it. You are with him for his wealth. Esmeralda's eyes blazed with fire. First of all, he is not an old man. He's aged, it's true, but some people are like fine wine, they only get better with age. So, Judge Frollo is one of those people,” she said. - Secondly, I would marry him even if he were not rich, because I love him as much as I have never loved you. He is gentle with me, he knows exactly what I want, he will never betray me. And, thirdly, do not judge everyone by yourself, Phoebus. The fact that we have you - a prostitute in pants, who sold herself to an unloved woman for wealth and nobility, does not mean at all that all other people are the same. With these words, she wanted to leave the balcony, but the captain grabbed her arm in a rage. “How dare you…” he croaked. She gave him a resounding slap in the face and jumped back. Phoebus was ready to throw the gypsy from the balcony, but at that moment Frollo appeared there. The judge assessed the situation and took his bride by the elbow. “Esmeralda, my dear, I already searched you,” he said, leading her off the balcony and not trying to deal with Phoebus, because this would cause a wild scandal that neither the judge nor Esmeralda needed. “We have already avenged him, my child,” Claude whispered to Esmeralda. - See how he's pissed off. And then I will add more trouble to him, but it will be after our wedding. Phoebus did not find peace. Esmeralda's words burned his ears like a red-hot iron. The judge and Esmeralda had already managed to get married, and Phoebus involuntarily continued to seek meetings with Esmeralda, although she ignored him. The king, convinced of the absolute devotion of Frollo, who all this time behaved decorously, humbly and piously, completely stopped watching the judge, completely and completely trusting him with justice. And then Claude realized that his hands were untied. He summoned Captain de Chateaupeur to himself and announced to him that the captain had been dismissed from his service. “You see, captain,” the judge explained. - I do not want to endure next to me a person who is ready to stab me in the back and, moreover, is trying to climb into my wife. Yes, don’t be upset, but now you will have a lot of time to devote yourself completely to your family, it’s your pregnant wife who needs attention. - What?! The captain was shocked by this news. - Oh, you didn't even notice that your wife suffered from you? the judge grinned. What a thoughtful husband you are. I'll be waiting for you in a few days, I'll give you the calculation. Now go. The judge waved the stunned captain out of his office. Esmeralda bathed in her happiness. When the judge was not around, she began to get bored. "Claude, would you mind if I came to see you at the Palace of Justice sometime?" she asked him carefully one day and obeyed. - You see, sometimes I want to see you so much that I feel really bad without you. I guess I'm too intrusive, but ... The judge cut her off with a kiss. “You have no idea, my dear, how glad I am to hear that from you,” he said. - Of course, come, just go straight to my office, God forbid you meddle in the cellars. "No," Esmeralda laughed. - I'm definitely not going there! And, when one day the judge went into his office, he saw Esmeralda there. She stood with her back to him, he quietly approached her and hugged her from behind. "I'm glad you came after all, my child," he said, kissing her on the neck. Boiling with anger, Phoebus came to the judge for money. He ripped open the door to his office and froze on the threshold from what he saw. Flushed with passion, the judge covered Esmeralda's shoulders with kisses, his hands climbed into her neckline, caressing her breasts, and Esmeralda, languidly moaning, completely obscenely rubbed her hips against his crotch! When Phoebus rushed to them, the judge thundered “Out!” in such a tone that the captain was literally carried out into the corridor. Almost at the same moment, the judge came out. - Were you not taught good manners, captain?! You must knock before entering anywhere! he barked, throwing a purse of money at Phoebus. - Take it and go to hell! Then the judge closed the door with a crash and turned the key in the keyhole. The last thing the captain heard as he made his way to the exit was, “We've been interrupted, my child. Where did we leave off?" and Esmeralda's ringing laugh.

Claude Frollo is one of the main characters in Victor Hugo's Notre Dame Cathedral. Subsequently, his image was regularly used in numerous theatrical productions and film adaptations of this work. This is a very controversial character. On the one hand - a priest and an archdeacon, on the other - a warlock and an alchemist. Perhaps the most mysterious and attractive in terms of writing the psychological characteristics of the personality, in all the work of the French writer.

Novel "Notre Dame Cathedral"

Claude Frollo appears in the novel Notre Dame Cathedral when he criticizes Esmeralda, who has just performed a dance and demonstrates the skills of her pet goat, Djali.

The novel itself is one of the most important works in the work of the French author. It still remains relevant, according to the plot of Notre Dame Cathedral, films are made, performances and musicals are staged.

The novel takes place in France in 1482. Paris is walking. A decision has just been made to combine Christian Epiphany with the ancient pagan holidays. This means that the church is making certain concessions to the old order. On January 6, a kind of Christmas is celebrated, launching fireworks and decorating trees (the pagan equivalent of the New Year).

At this time, in the palace, by order of the cardinal, a play with a biblical story is staged. It is dedicated to the upcoming wedding of the heir to the French throne with Margaret of Austria. All of these are real characters. Hugo was extremely scrupulous in his description of the historical events. Immediately after the performance, the performance of the main court comedian, who is the Pope's jester, is scheduled.

The failure of the production

A jester at a special meeting chooses a hunchbacked bell ringer named Quasimodo, who works at Notre Dame Cathedral. At this time, the play in the palace fails, its author runs in horror, wherever his eyes look. And all because of the inattention of the public, which was constantly distracted. Now for the late arrival of the cardinal, then for the election of Quasimodo as a jester, then for the appearance of the charming Esmeralda.

Gringoire, who wrote the play, now has nowhere to sleep. He has absolutely no money, he was counting on the fee received after the performance to rent a room. Therefore, he has no choice but to go to the square where the festivities are taking place. There he meets Esmeralda again. She dances, for which the priest Claude Frollo condemns her. This is his first appearance in the novel. Concurrently, he is also the mentor of the hunchback Quasimodo, chosen by the jester.

Impressed by this, the crowd begins to honor the hunchbacked king. Noticing this, Frollo takes Quasimodo away from the square.

Esmeralda

Esmeralda is the main female character in the novel, who is directly related to the priest. After the performance, Gringoire follows her, hoping for her good heart. After all, she received money for the dance. However, in front of the poet, she is kidnapped by Quasimodo with a partner who hides his face. From the attackers, Esmeralda is saved by the captain of the royal shooters named Phoebde Chatoper. The girl instantly falls in love with her savior.

Continuing to follow her, Grenougar finds himself in the Court of Miracles. The place where the poorest French people live. Here he is almost executed for illegal entry into the territory of the beggars, but in the end he is saved by Esmeralda, who agrees to become his wife. This is the last chance for salvation for a convicted criminal standing on the scaffold.

They are crowned, but Esmeralda does not allow herself to be touched. She is wearing an amulet that should help her find her parents, who disappeared many years ago. But it will only work if she is a virgin.

During one of Esmeralda's regular street performances, she is again noticed by Claude Frollo, who is secretly in love with her. From Gringoire, he learns that the girl does not allow herself to be touched, and besides, she is crazy about Captain Phoebus. This causes a fit of jealousy in the priest.

Frollo in the life of Esmeralda

Overwhelmed by jealousy, Claude Frollo, whose photo can be found in the illustrations for the novel, not only finds Phoebus, but also seriously injures him when he meets with a gypsy.

Frollo organizes everything in such a way that Esmeralda is accused of trying to kill Phoebus. Under torture, the girl confesses her guilt. She is sentenced to death.

On the last night of her life in a cell, she is visited by a priest, the main character of our article. He offers her an escape, but she rejects the offer, unable to see the man who killed her lover and put her in jail.

Quasimodo saves her from the scaffold. At the last moment, she manages to notice Phoebus, who, having forgotten about her, is standing nearby on the balcony of his bride. His wound as a result was not so serious.

Saviors from the Court of Miracles

Almost all the inhabitants of the Court of Miracles come to save Esmeralda from unjust punishment. She can't believe that Phoebus forgot her so quickly.

Beggars storm Notre Dame Cathedral. The defense is steadfastly held by Quasimodo, who mistakenly believes that they have come to execute the gypsy. Several people die in the fight.

During the siege of the cathedral, she is secretly released by Gringoire and a certain man in black clothes. It turns out to be Claude Frollo. And Esmeralda realizes that she realized this too late. The priest confronts her with a difficult choice. Be with him or be hanged. The girl again refuses Claude, he puts her under guard.

She is guarded by Gudula, who at first mistreats the gypsy, but then finds out that she is her daughter Agnes, who was kidnapped by the gypsies in infancy. She decides to save her. At this time, the guards come for her, among them Phoebus. Esmeralda forgets about caution, calls her lover and reveals herself. Gudula tries with all his might to save her, but dies herself.

Esmeralda is brought to the square for execution. Quasimodo and Frollo look at her from the bell tower of Notre Dame Cathedral. Realizing that it was the priest who was responsible for the death of Esmeralda, Quasimodo, distraught with anger, throws him to the ground from the very top of the cathedral.

The ending of the novel describes how, many years later, two skeletons were found hugging each other. When they tried to separate them, one of them crumbled to dust. They were Quasimodo and Esmeralda.

Frollo's appearance

The appearance of the hero in the novel "Notre Dame Cathedral" is described in detail. Claude Frollo is a handsome, broad-shouldered man. At the same time, it's a bit squishy. Has physical strength, clear, bright and strong voice.

At the same time, Hugo's description of Claude is ambiguous. If at the beginning of the novel a bald and almost gray-haired old man appears before us, then in the chapter "Delirium" he pulls out his hair in tufts in order to personally see if they have become gray. At the end of the work, Frollo appears as a graying and balding man.

Hero biography

Judge Claude Frollo was born in 1446 or 1447. He comes from a family of minor nobles. His family name is de Tierschamp.

As a child, he was an obedient and quiet child. From the first years of his life, they began to prepare him for the career of a priest. He studied hard, studying textbooks. He was educated at Torshi College, where he was also considered an extremely diligent student. At the same time, he was actively interested in the sciences, despite serious studies in theology.

Unlike other schoolchildren, he did not participate in parties, and the famous rebellion of 1463 passed by him, which was included in medieval chronicles as the sixth university turmoil. At the age of 20, he was already a doctor of all four faculties that were in the college. Law, liberal arts, medicine and theology.

Three years later, he was left without his parents, who died of the plague. His younger brother remained in his care, in infancy. He was fed by the miller's wife.

Then he went to the clergy, which his parents so dreamed of. In the first year of service in the Notre Dame Cathedral, he adopted an ugly baby, who was thrown into the cathedral manger. An important event in his life took place in 1481, when from the window of his cell he saw Esmeralda dancing in the square. He fell in love, passion overshadowed everything in his life.

Character features

The image of Claude Frollo can be described as phlegmatic. At the same time, sudden choleric outbreaks are inherent in him, which can be caused by passion, love or exaltation.

He is a man who strives for excellence in knowledge. At the same time, the archdeacon has one strong passion. He is passionate about alchemy. Having exhausted himself in the church, he cools off towards God, and now seeks to master the secret knowledge of Claude Frollo. Sayings and quotes confirming this constantly appear on the pages of the novel. For example, he states that "your science of man is nothing."

A striking example of a religious fanatic is Claude Frollo. The characterization that the author gives to the hero is unattractive. He is a priest, he strives to follow only external rules, not paying attention to internal ones.

Chasing a dream

In addition to the passion for Esmeralda, he owns another. Passion for power, chasing the dream of having all the gold in the world. It is for this purpose that he studies alchemy. More than once Claude Frollo declares this on the pages of the novel. Quotes about this are on the pages of the novel. For him, to have gold means "to be equal to God and to have power."

The main force in this world for him is material. It must be admitted that he is not interested in gold per se. And what can be achieved with it. And also a dream to accomplish what no other person on Earth has been able to do.

Rivalry with Phoebus

The main antagonist of Claude is Captain Phoebus. These characters are diametrically opposed. In doing so, they embody the ruling classes that existed at that time in France. As well as selfishness and cruel medieval traditions.

While Phoebus is beautiful, the other is aging and fading, the nature of Phoebus is bottomless, Frollo is essentially empty. They are similar only in one thing - they do not know the concept of morality.

Phoebus is beautiful only outwardly, able to win the hearts of girls with a military uniform. Frollo loses his sense of analysis, embarking on the path of ontological nihilism. Despite their spiritual inferiority, Esmeralda still chooses one of them, Phoebe.

This act of the gypsy destroys Claude. He is ready to put the whole world at the feet of Esmeralda, but she does not need it.

Supreme Justice

Esmeralda ends up choosing Phoebus, who doesn't have a penny to his name. This absurdity contains the highest moral justice of the novel.

After all, everything is simple only for Esmeralda, for whom Phoebus is a savior, and Frollo is a murderer and a villain. The priest attacks the opponent from the back, because he does not know any other way to win the duel.

In a global sense, he does not kill the captain. Both Phoebe and Frollo are ruined by a gypsy. It is Esmeralda who is the cause of this feud. This is the conclusion reached by most literary critics.

(1482 ) A place of death:

Paris, France

Claude Frollo(fr. Claude Frollo) is one of the central characters in Victor Hugo's novel Notre Dame Cathedral (fr. Notre-Dame de Paris), as well as film and theater productions, animated films, comics created on the basis of or based on this novel. Priest, Archdeacon of Josas Cathedral of Notre Dame. Alchemist, warlock.

Appearance

“Among the many faces illuminated by the crimson flame of the fire, the face of a man stood out, it seemed, more than others, absorbed in the contemplation of the dancer. It was the stern, closed, gloomy face of a man. This man, whose clothes were obscured by the crowd crowding around him, looked to be no more than thirty-five years old; meanwhile, he was already bald, and only in some places at the temples a few strands of sparse graying hair still survived; his wide and high forehead was furrowed with wrinkles, but in his deeply sunken eyes flashed an extraordinary youthful ardor, a thirst for life and a hidden passion. He kept looking at the gypsy, and while the sixteen-year-old carefree girl, exciting the delight of the crowd, danced and fluttered, his face became more and more gloomy. At times, his smile replaced a sigh, but there was even more grief in the smile than in the sigh itself.

The archdeacon appears in the novel as a tall, broad-shouldered man, slightly swarthy. He is not deprived of physical strength and, moreover, has a strong, clear voice.

It is worth noting that Hugo does not give an unambiguous description of the appearance of the hero. If in the first chapters we see a man almost gray-haired and bald, that in the chapter “Delirium” Frollo pulls out his hair in tufts to check if he has turned gray, and in the finale of the novel we have a man starting to gray and go bald.

Biography

Born in 1446/47, in a family of minor nobles. The generic name "de Tirechappe" (fr. de Tirechappe) received the name of one of the two fief possessions (the second is Moulin; in a conversation with his brother, he mentions that he wants to redeem the possessions).

He grew up as a sedate and quiet child. From childhood, he was assigned to the church service and taught to "lower his eyes down and speak in a low voice." Ros, bending over the breviary and vocabulary. He was sent to study at Torshi College, where he established himself as a diligent and capable student, more than anything else interested in science. He did not take part in the parties of other schoolchildren, as well as in the rebellion of 1463, which the chroniclers entered into the chronicle under the loud name "The Sixth University Trouble". He "already at the age of sixteen ... could measure himself in mystical theology - with any father of the church, in canonical theology - with any of the members of the Council, and in scholastic theology - with the doctor of the Sorbonne." Having succeeded in teaching, by the age of twenty he was a doctor of all four faculties: theology, law, medicine and liberal arts.

In 1466 he was orphaned when his parents died of the plague. In the care of Claude was the younger brother Jean, a breastfed baby, who was fed by the miller's wife.

In the same year, Claude Frollo was ordained a priest: “His spiritual qualities, his knowledge, his position as a vassal of the Bishop of Paris opened the doors of the church wide before him. At the age of twenty, with the special permission of the papal curia, he was appointed clergyman of Notre Dame Cathedral; the youngest of all the cathedral priests, he served in that aisle of the temple, which was called altare pigrorum ("chapel of lazy people"), because mass was served there late. On Fomino Sunday of the following year, 1467, the young priest sheltered an ugly child thrown into the cathedral manger, christening him Quasimodo, both in honor of the day when he was found, and in commemoration of his “subhuman” appearance and soul, formed in the image of the body.

In the autumn of 1481, from the window of his cell, Frollo saw the young gypsy Esmeralda dancing in the square in front of the cathedral. On that day, his fate was sealed. He fell in love…

Personality and character traits

The temperament of Claude Frollo can be interpreted as phlegmatic, with bright choleric outbursts caused by passionate love and spiritual exaltation.

We see in front of us a person passionate and striving for perfection in knowledge. The only enduring passion of the archdeacon is alchemy, for he cannot fully master the secret knowledge. Having exhausted all the possibilities of his service to God, Frollo grows cold towards the church. We cannot say unequivocally whether he believes. And if so, who or what, really? His religious fanaticism is the desire to follow the rules of the external, but not internal. Having comprehended everything that medieval science could give him, the priest gradually renounces it too: “Your science of man is nothing! Your science of the stars is nothing!” Perhaps his passion for Esmeralda can be interpreted from similar positions. Having known carnal and human love, Claude Frollo would probably have left it for the sake of studying alchemy, the only incomprehensible one - and therefore seeming true.

Such is his love for his brother, to which at first he gives all of himself - but over time, Claude and Jean become completely different and strangers to each other. But the sorrow for his brother is great: to Gringoire’s question about the unfortunate man, whom Quasimodo crushed on the slabs of the cathedral, the priest “did not answer, but suddenly released the oars, his hands hung as if broken, and Esmeralda heard a convulsive sigh.”

An important feature of the archdeacon is his craving for building patriarchal relationships and truly masochistic relationships based on dependence. He is trying to be a father to the flock (although, obviously, he does not believe in God and is too far from this dark, but beginning to realize his strength human mass), a brother (but he cannot raise him, having no idea about an adequate family model), Quasimodo (with which they are interconnected and at the same time diametrically opposed).

The motivation for his merciful act towards Quasimodo is interesting. On the one hand, this is a rather sincere impulse, characteristic of youthful maximalism, in which the archdeacon lingered. On the other hand, it was a kind of contribution that provided Jehan with a place in paradise. But, thirdly, Frollo could not help but understand that in this way he acquires a ready-for-everything and devoted slave, which is fully expressed in the name that the archdeacon gave to his adopted child: “Quasimodo”, that is, “subhuman”.

With this craving for patriarchy, one can also associate Claude Frollo's desire for power, his arrogance, arrogance, undoubtedly pride. Alchemy - the pursuit of dreams and gold. To have gold means to have power and “to be equal to God”, for the material force is the only one that has not been touched by the colossal rift of epochs.

The archdeacon is also interesting in comparison with his main rival, Phoebus de Chateauper. The captain and the priest, at first glance, are diametrically opposed, but they embody the ruling classes, medieval tradition and cruel egoism in the novel. At the same time, one is empty - the other is bottomless, one is beautiful - the other has begun to grow old, one has gone bankrupt - and the other is saving up money to buy the estate. True, they are similar in one thing: they do not know morality. Phoebus, a beautiful animal in a beautiful uniform, simply has not grown up to this feeling, he is not inclined to any analysis. Claude, having stepped onto the path of ontological nihilism and all sorts of doubts, on the contrary, loses this feeling. But Esmeralda, nevertheless, chooses Phoebus. This is the apparent absurdity of female love, which has its own special patterns. This absurdity kills Claude: he is ready to throw the whole world at the feet of the gypsy, himself, his good name, life, earthly and afterlife - and she prefers to fall at the feet of Phoebus, who has nothing. And in this absurdity lies the highest moral justice. For Esmeralda, everything is insultingly simple: Phoebus is a savior, Frollo is a pursuer and, later, a murderer. Frollo attacks his opponent from behind - but he doesn't know any other way. He would gladly kill the captain in a fair duel, but Phoebus himself cannot stand such a test. But it is not he who “kills” the captain. This is a gypsy. Witch. And - indirectly - it is true: Esmeralda is the cause and subject of this strife.

Moreover, “the cause of these torments and crimes is in Christian dogma. This struggle with the flesh given over to the devil, an impossible struggle, since man is weaker than the devil, is the result of Christianity. The fall of Claude Frollo is the fault of God, as he claims, and he is largely right, since his tragedy is in a campaign against nature, against nature and its laws. This is the tragedy of a priest over whom fate triumphs.

He binds himself even in death - and accepts his infantile model of behavior, in which you do not have to make decisions yourself. After all, everything is decided by God for you. In which, by the way, Claude has not believed for a long time - but at this terrible moment he still "begged heaven from the depths of his desperate soul to send him mercy - to end his life in this space of two square feet, even if he was destined to live a hundred years" . He still hopes for something beyond ... He again betrays himself. And, only feeling that nothing could help him, Claude decided to unclench his fingers. Only when death became inevitable.

As Victor Hugo rightly notes, "in each of us there is a certain correlation between our continuously developing mind, inclinations and character, which is violated only during major life shocks." Rock weighed heavily on Claude. And not just one event, but a whole series of successive complementary catastrophes, namely: the change of eras, the power of one's own mind, church dogmas and love for a woman. And each of them struck with a heavy hammer at the fragile trinity of soul, body and mind, deepening and widening the split in the mind of the archdeacon.

Fear of the printed book

“This will kill that,” is the aphorism uttered by the archdeacon in a conversation with the master Jacques Charmolue. This short but capacious phrase contains all the fear of a person whose consciousness is torn at the turn of epochs: he is aware of the darkness of medieval obscurantism, where the wound can be cured with a fried mouse, but he is afraid of those obscure changes that the new era brings with it.

This is the horror of a man who understands that the word and the truth can become available to everyone, and only God knows how they can then be used. And if in the beginning there was the word, what then is the printed word?

Claude Frollo, in his timelessness, keenly feels this split and shift: the stone book of cathedrals, created century after century by nameless masters, is inferior to a single creation, the general is inferior to the private and individual. And it is not easy to give an unambiguous assessment of these changes.

Image interpretation

"Indeed, Claude Frollo was an outstanding personality."

If we interpret the image of Claude Frollo from the point of view of the era of romanticism, then it is quite unambiguous. This is the main antagonist of the novel, acting as the embodiment of religious dogmas and obscurantism of the late Middle Ages, this is the bearer of ananke dogmas, his offspring and his own victim.

Despite the fact that the era of romanticism does not recognize the typical, the image of the archdeacon can still be interpreted as a type. He "is a broad generalization, although certainly not a collective portrait of all medieval monks - otherwise he would not have become an artistic image, sharply individualized and intensely alive." By and large, Claude Frollo is one of those who were hundreds, if not thousands: “this is a real image of a cleric of the 15th century, who, for all his learning, superstitions and prejudices, cannot give vent to natural human passions.” For all its triviality, this idea of ​​Tresuknov is profoundly correct in its essence. This is a priest, dense in his medieval age - and beautiful in his desire to get out of it. He no longer believes in God - but has not yet come to humanity. Such a person is typical of that time - he is smart, learned, majestic, but at the same time he is infantile, because he prefers to act according to a ready-made, not invented scheme, his mind and soul are buried under dogmas and church regulations, he has long lost his faith - but still watching the outside. He does not know how to love, hate, educate - and he does this by combining dogmas and instincts in a monstrous way. And all these characteristics are inherent not only to Claude Frollo, but also to many like him.

Moreover, "the crack that split the era passed through his [i.e. the archdeacon's] consciousness and made him a type." The change of times is an ordeal. The humanists released man into the wild - and what will freedom be for him? How will he come to her? Painful breaking of consciousness, groping for new truths, a vicious path of murders and pleasures... Everything is possible - and Frollo changes the method of searching over and over again. The archdeacon is no longer a believer, but still a superstitious person - and this split is especially painful for him. Claude is the bearer of those ideals that go into oblivion - but at the same time, he himself has long been disappointed in them. And this is his typicality.

The concept of a symbol in this regard is much more diverse: at least four topoi can be distinguished, related to each other and underlying the symbolism of this image.

First of all, according to the same Treskunov, Claude Frollo is a symbol of "a perverted human soul crushed by the feudal order." This value happens to be a transition between the type and the symbol. For Claude, as a person, can only symbolize the soul, but at the same time - and on the same basis (the death of the human soul in the abyss between the feudal-theocratic foundations and the humanistic trends of the Renaissance), he is a type.

Secondly, Claude Frollo is the embodiment of the dark Middle Ages. He turns out to be a person who carries all the darkest and most imperfect sides of this time. These are superstitions, this is the ideology, the worldviews that were the stronghold for the Dark Age. Not only religion - but also the basis of the whole society: feudal power, suppression of the people and a clear model of behavior.

Thirdly, the archdeacon turns out to be not only an alchemist, but also the embodiment of alchemical action. Trismegistus expressed the basis of this pseudoscience in the most precise metaphor: "As above, so below." So what do we see? Claude Frollo - both above and below. He is above the world, above the flock, above science - but at the same time, remaining in the same position, he finds himself at the foot of heaven, because above Claude is God and his relatives. So, being a single "substance", it can have many incarnations.

Fourthly, the archdeacon, as it is not difficult to guess, is the personification of the gloomy asceticism of the Middle Ages. He is not one priest and not their totality, but the entire Catholic Church, its stronghold and dogmas. Claude is not only an instrument of ananke dogmas, not only his victim - but his embodiment in flesh and blood. He is the bearer of this theocratic outlook, for he cannot get rid of it, no matter how much he wants to.

Adaptations

Cinema

Year Name Role performer
1917 The Darling of Paris Walter Law
1922 Esmeralda Annesley Healy
1923 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Brandon Hurst
1939 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Sir Cedric Hardwicke
1956 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Alain Cuny
1966 The Hunchback of Notre Dame James Maxwell
1977 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Kenneth High
1982 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Derek Jacobi
1986 The Hunchback Of Notre Dame,
animated film
Ron Haddrick,
voice acting
1995 The Magical Adventures Of Quasimodo,
animated series
Vlasta Vrana,
voice acting
1996 The Hunchback Of Notre Dame,
Disney animated film
tony jay,
voice acting
1997 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Richard Harris
1999 Quasimodo d'El Paris,
parody
Richard Berry

Musical Notre-Dame de Paris

In addition, the musical was staged in England, Italy, Spain, South Korea and Belgium.

The musical was also presented by the Mogador theater in Paris, a group of Moscow bards Notre-Group and the Dialogue student theater (Moscow, the musical Love and Time). The version of the theater "Dialogue" was closed at the request of the official Russian version, as it was recognized as competitive.

K:Wikipedia:Articles without images (type: not specified)

Claude Frollo(fr. Claude Frollo) is one of the central characters in Victor Hugo's novel Notre Dame Cathedral (fr. Notre-Dame de Paris), as well as film and theater productions, animated films, comics created on the basis of or based on this novel. Priest, Archdeacon of Josas Cathedral of Notre Dame. Alchemist, warlock.

Appearance

“Among the many faces illuminated by the crimson flame of the fire, the face of a man stood out, it seemed, more than others, absorbed in the contemplation of the dancer. It was the stern, closed, gloomy face of a man. This man, whose clothes were obscured by the crowd crowding around him, looked to be no more than thirty-five years old; meanwhile, he was already bald, and only in some places at the temples a few strands of sparse graying hair still survived; his wide and high forehead was furrowed with wrinkles, but in his deeply sunken eyes flashed an extraordinary youthful ardor, a thirst for life and a hidden passion. He kept looking at the gypsy, and while the sixteen-year-old carefree girl, exciting the delight of the crowd, danced and fluttered, his face became more and more gloomy. At times, his smile replaced a sigh, but there was even more grief in the smile than in the sigh itself. ”He fell in love with her! .

The archdeacon appears in the novel as a tall, broad-shouldered man, slightly swarthy. He is not deprived of physical strength and, moreover, has a strong, clear voice.

It is worth noting that Hugo does not give an unambiguous description of the appearance of the hero. If in the first chapters we see a man almost gray-haired and bald, that in the chapter “Delirium” Frollo pulls out his hair in tufts to check if he has turned gray, and in the finale of the novel we have a man starting to gray and go bald.

Biography

Born in 1446/47, in a family of minor nobles. The generic name "de Tirechappe" (fr. de Tirechappe) received the name of one of the two fief possessions (the second is Moulin; in a conversation with his brother, he mentions that he wants to redeem the possessions).

He grew up as a sedate and quiet child. From childhood, he was assigned to the church service and taught to "lower his eyes down and speak in a low voice." Ros, bending over the breviary and vocabulary. He was sent to study at Torshi College, where he established himself as a diligent and capable student, more than anything else interested in science. He did not take part in the parties of other schoolchildren, as well as in the rebellion of 1463, which the chroniclers entered into the chronicle under the loud name "The Sixth University Trouble". He "already at the age of sixteen ... could measure himself in mystical theology - with any father of the church, in canonical theology - with any of the members of the Council, and in scholastic theology - with the doctor of the Sorbonne." Having succeeded in teaching, by the age of twenty he was a doctor of all four faculties: theology, law, medicine and liberal arts.

In 1466 he was orphaned when his parents died of the plague. In the care of Claude was the younger brother Jean, a breastfed baby, who was fed by the miller's wife.

In the same year, Claude Frollo was ordained a priest: “His spiritual qualities, his knowledge, his position as a vassal of the Bishop of Paris opened the doors of the church wide before him. At the age of twenty, with the special permission of the papal curia, he was appointed clergyman of Notre Dame Cathedral; the youngest of all the cathedral priests, he served in that aisle of the temple, which was called altare pigrorum ("chapel of lazy people"), because mass was served there late. On Fomino Sunday of the following year, 1467, the young priest sheltered an ugly child thrown into the cathedral manger, christening him Quasimodo, both in honor of the day when he was found, and in commemoration of his “subhuman” appearance and soul, formed in the image of the body.

In the autumn of 1481, from the window of his cell, Frollo saw the young gypsy Esmeralda dancing in the square in front of the cathedral. On that day, his fate was sealed. He fell in love…

Personality and character traits

The temperament of Claude Frollo can be interpreted as phlegmatic, with bright choleric outbursts caused by passionate love and spiritual exaltation.

We see in front of us a person passionate and striving for perfection in knowledge. The only enduring passion of the archdeacon is alchemy, for he cannot fully master the secret knowledge. Having exhausted all the possibilities of his service to God, Frollo grows cold towards the church. We cannot say unequivocally whether he believes. And if so, who or what, really? His religious fanaticism is the desire to follow the rules of the external, but not internal. Having comprehended everything that medieval science could give him, the priest gradually renounces it too: “Your science of man is nothing! Your science of the stars is nothing!” Perhaps his passion for Esmeralda can be interpreted from similar positions. Having known carnal and human love, Claude Frollo would probably have left it for the sake of studying alchemy, the only incomprehensible one - and therefore seeming true.

Such is his love for his brother, to which at first he gives all of himself - but over time, Claude and Jean become completely different and strangers to each other. But the sorrow for his brother is great: to Gringoire’s question about the unfortunate man, whom Quasimodo crushed on the slabs of the cathedral, the priest “did not answer, but suddenly released the oars, his hands hung as if broken, and Esmeralda heard a convulsive sigh.”

An important feature of the archdeacon is his craving for building patriarchal relationships and truly masochistic relationships based on dependence. He is trying to be a father to the flock (although, obviously, he does not believe in God and is too far from this dark, but beginning to realize his strength human mass), a brother (but he cannot raise him, having no idea about an adequate family model), Quasimodo (with which they are interconnected and at the same time diametrically opposed).

The motivation for his merciful act towards Quasimodo is interesting. On the one hand, this is a rather sincere impulse, characteristic of youthful maximalism, in which the archdeacon lingered. On the other hand, it was a kind of contribution that provided Jehan with a place in paradise. But, thirdly, Frollo could not help but understand that in this way he acquires a ready-for-everything and devoted slave, which is fully expressed in the name that the archdeacon gave to his adopted son: “Quasimodo”, that is, “subhuman”.

With this craving for patriarchy, one can also associate Claude Frollo's desire for power, his arrogance, arrogance, undoubtedly pride. Alchemy - the pursuit of dreams and gold. To have gold means to have power and “to be equal to God”, for the material force is the only one that has not been touched by the colossal rift of epochs. Although, of course, Claude hardly needed the gold itself. He wanted to accomplish what many minds aspired to, for which many put their lives, but which they never achieved. In this way, he would also perpetuate his name through the ages, which, perhaps, he could not help but think about.

The archdeacon is also interesting in comparison with his main rival, Phoebus de Chateauper. The captain and the priest, at first glance, are diametrically opposed, but they embody the ruling classes, medieval tradition and cruel egoism in the novel. At the same time, one is empty - the other is bottomless, one is beautiful - the other has begun to grow old, one has gone bankrupt - and the other is saving up money to buy the estate. True, they are similar in one thing: they do not know morality. Phoebus, a beautiful animal in a beautiful uniform, simply has not grown up to this feeling, he is not inclined to any analysis. Claude, having stepped onto the path of ontological nihilism and all sorts of doubts, on the contrary, loses this feeling. But Esmeralda, nevertheless, chooses Phoebus. This is the apparent absurdity of female love, which has its own special patterns. This absurdity kills Claude: he is ready to throw the whole world at the feet of the gypsy, himself, his good name, life, earthly and afterlife - and she prefers to fall at the feet of Phoebus, who has nothing. And in this absurdity lies the highest moral justice. For Esmeralda, everything is insultingly simple: Phoebus is a savior, Frollo is a pursuer and, later, a murderer. Frollo attacks his opponent from behind - but he doesn't know any other way. He would gladly kill the captain in a fair duel, but Phoebus himself cannot stand such a test. But it is not he who “kills” the captain. This is a gypsy. Witch. And - indirectly - it is true: Esmeralda is the cause and subject of this strife.

Moreover, “the cause of these torments and crimes is in Christian dogma. This struggle with the flesh given over to the devil, an impossible struggle, since man is weaker than the devil, is the result of Christianity. The fall of Claude Frollo is the fault of God, as he claims, and he is largely right, since his tragedy is in a campaign against nature, against nature and its laws. This is the tragedy of a priest over whom fate triumphs.

He binds himself even in death - and accepts his infantile model of behavior, in which you do not have to make decisions yourself. After all, everything is decided by God for you. In which, by the way, Claude does not believe for a long time - but at this terrible moment he still "begged the sky from the depths of his desperate soul to send him mercy - to end his life in this space of two square feet, even if he was destined to live a hundred years." He still hopes for something beyond ... He again betrays himself. And, only feeling that nothing could help him, Claude decided to unclench his fingers. Only when death became inevitable.

As Victor Hugo rightly remarks, "in each of us there is a certain correlation between our continuously developing mind, inclinations and character, which is violated only during major life shocks." Rock weighed heavily on Claude. And not just one event, but a whole series of successive complementary catastrophes, namely: the change of eras, the power of one's own mind, church dogmas and love for a woman. And each of them struck with a heavy hammer at the fragile trinity of soul, body and mind, deepening and widening the split in the mind of the archdeacon.

Fear of the printed book

“This will kill that,” is the aphorism uttered by the archdeacon in a conversation with the master Jacques Charmolue. This short but capacious phrase contains all the fear of a person whose consciousness is torn at the break of epochs: he is aware of the darkness of medieval obscurantism, where the wound can be cured with the help of a fried mouse, but he is afraid of those obscure changes that the new era brings with it.

This is the horror of a man who understands that the word and the truth can become available to everyone, and only God knows how they can then be used. And if in the beginning there was the word, what then is the printed word?

Claude Frollo, in his timelessness, keenly feels this split and shift: the stone book of cathedrals, created century after century by nameless masters, is inferior to a single creation, the general is inferior to the private and individual. And it is not easy to give an unambiguous assessment of these changes.

Image interpretation

"Indeed, Claude Frollo was an outstanding personality."

If we interpret the image of Claude Frollo from the point of view of the era of romanticism, then it is quite unambiguous. This is the main antagonist of the novel, acting as the embodiment of religious dogmas and obscurantism of the late Middle Ages, this is the bearer of ananke dogmas, his offspring and his own victim.

Despite the fact that the era of romanticism does not recognize the typical, the image of the archdeacon can still be interpreted as a type. He "is a broad generalization, although certainly not a collective portrait of all medieval monks - otherwise he would not have become an artistic image, sharply individualized and intensely alive." By and large, Claude Frollo is one of those who were hundreds, if not thousands: “this is a real image of a cleric of the 15th century, who, for all his learning, superstitions and prejudices, cannot give vent to natural human passions.” For all its triviality, this idea of ​​Tresuknov is profoundly correct in its essence. This is a priest, dense in his medieval age - and beautiful in his desire to get out of it. He no longer believes in God - but has not yet come to humanity. Such a person is typical of that time - he is smart, learned, majestic, but at the same time he is infantile, because he prefers to act according to a ready-made, not invented scheme, his mind and soul are buried under dogmas and church regulations, he has long lost his faith - but still watching the outside. He does not know how to love, hate, educate - and he does this by combining dogmas and instincts in a monstrous way. And all these characteristics are inherent not only to Claude Frollo, but also to many like him.

Moreover, “the crack that split the era passed through it [i.e. e archdeacon] consciousness and made him a type. The change of times is an ordeal. The humanists released man into the wild - and what will freedom be for him? How will he get to her? Painful breaking of consciousness, groping for new truths, a vicious path of murders and pleasures... Everything is possible - and Frollo changes the method of searching over and over again. The archdeacon is no longer a believer, but still a superstitious person - and this split is especially painful for him. Claude is the bearer of those ideals that go into oblivion - but at the same time, he himself has long been disappointed in them. And this is his typicality.

The concept of a symbol in this regard is much more diverse: at least four topoi can be distinguished, related to each other and underlying the symbolism of this image.

First of all, according to the same Treskunov, Claude Frollo is a symbol of "a perverted human soul crushed by the feudal order." This value happens to be a transition between the type and the symbol. For Claude, as a person, can only symbolize the soul, but at the same time - and on the same basis (the death of the human soul in the abyss between the feudal-theocratic foundations and the humanistic trends of the Renaissance), he is a type.

Secondly, Claude Frollo is the embodiment of the dark Middle Ages. He turns out to be a person who carries all the darkest and most imperfect sides of this time. These are superstitions, this is the ideology, the worldviews that were the stronghold for the Dark Age. Not only religion - but also the basis of the whole society: feudal power, suppression of the people and a clear model of behavior.

Thirdly, the archdeacon turns out to be not only an alchemist, but also the embodiment of alchemical action. Trismegistus expressed the basis of this pseudoscience in the most precise metaphor: "As above, so below." So what do we see? Claude Frollo - both above and below. He is above the world, above the flock, above science - but at the same time, remaining in the same position, he finds himself at the foot of heaven, because above Claude is God and his relatives. So, being a single "substance", it can have many incarnations.

Fourthly, the archdeacon, as it is not difficult to guess, is the personification of the gloomy asceticism of the Middle Ages. He is not one priest and not their totality, but the entire Catholic Church, its stronghold and dogmas. Claude is not only an instrument of ananke dogmas, not only his victim - but his embodiment in flesh and blood. He is the bearer of this theocratic outlook, for he cannot get rid of it, no matter how much he wants to.

Adaptations

Cinema

Year Name Role performer
1917 The Darling of Paris Walter Law
1922 Esmeralda Annesley Healy
1923 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Brandon Hirst
1939 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Hardwick, Cedric
1956 Cathedral of Notre Dame Alain Cuny
1966 The Hunchback of Notre Dame James Maxwell
1977 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Kenneth High
1982 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Derek Jacobi
1986 The Hunchback Of Notre Dame,
animated film
Ron Haddrick,
voice acting
1995 The Magical Adventures Of Quasimodo,
animated series
Vlasta Vrana,
voice acting
1996 The Hunchback of Notre Dame,
Disney animated film
tony jay,
voice acting
1997 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Richard Harris
1999 Quasimodo d'El Paris,
parody
Richard Berry

Musical Notre-Dame de Paris

In addition, the musical was staged in England, Italy, Spain, South Korea and Belgium.

The musical was also presented by the Mogador theater in Paris, a group of Moscow bards Notre-Group and the Dialogue student theater (Moscow, the musical Love and Time). The version of the theater "Dialogue" was closed at the request of the official Russian version, as it was recognized as competitive.

Comics

  • Illustrators and cinema depict Frollo as an elderly, gray-haired man, but according to the chronology of the work, he is only 35 years old.
  • The image of the archdeacon in many ways goes back to the abbot Egzhe, who was the first vicar of the cathedral and the author of mystical writings, later recognized as heretical by the official church. Hugo was friendly with the abbot, and he helped the writer to understand the architectural symbolism of the building.
  • Frollo's path from a priest to a scientist, and then to an alchemist, can be traced by the inscriptions made by his hand, which Hugo cites in the text.
  • According to some indirect signs, it can be assumed that Claude was an illegitimate son (a type of appearance close to South European; the eldest son - but from childhood deprived of his father's shelter; a perfect contrast in appearance with Jean)
  • Claude Frollo is the main antagonist of Jörg Kastner's novel In the Shadow of Notre Dame, a free interpretation of Victor Hugo's work in the style of an intellectual detective.
  • Disney judge Frollo is one of the characters in Kingdom Hearts 3D for the Nintendo 3DS console.

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Notes

An excerpt characterizing Claude Frollo

Pierre, without stopping home, took a cab and drove to the commander-in-chief.
Count Rostopchin only arrived in town this morning from his country dacha in Sokolniki. The antechamber and reception room of the count's house were full of officials who came at his request or for orders. Vasilchikov and Platov had already seen the count and explained to him that it was impossible to defend Moscow and that it would be surrendered. Although these news were hidden from the inhabitants, the officials, the heads of various departments knew that Moscow would be in the hands of the enemy, just as Count Rostopchin knew it; and all of them, in order to lay down their responsibility, came to the commander-in-chief with questions about how they should deal with the units entrusted to them.
While Pierre entered the reception room, the courier, who came from the army, left the count.
The courier waved his hand hopelessly at the questions addressed to him, and passed through the hall.
While waiting in the waiting room, Pierre looked with tired eyes at the various, old and young, military and civil, important and unimportant officials who were in the room. Everyone seemed dissatisfied and restless. Pierre approached one group of officials, in which one was his acquaintance. After greeting Pierre, they continued their conversation.
- How to send and return again, there will be no trouble; and in such a situation one cannot answer for anything.
“Why, he writes,” said another, pointing to the printed paper he held in his hand.
- That's another matter. This is necessary for the people,” said the first.
- What is it? Pierre asked.
- And here's a new poster.
Pierre took it in his hands and began to read:
“The Most Serene Prince, in order to quickly connect with the troops that are coming towards him, crossed Mozhaisk and stood in a strong place where the enemy would not suddenly attack him. Forty-eight cannons with shells have been sent to him from here, and his Serene Highness says that he will defend Moscow to the last drop of blood and is ready to fight even in the streets. You, brothers, do not look at the fact that government offices have been closed: things need to be cleaned up, and we will deal with the villain with our court! When it comes to something, I need fellows, both urban and rural. I'll call a call for two days, but now it's not necessary, I'm silent. Good with an ax, not bad with a horn, and best of all is a triple pitchfork: a Frenchman is not heavier than a sheaf of rye. Tomorrow, after dinner, I am taking Iverskaya to the Ekaterininsky hospital, to the wounded. We will sanctify the water there: they will recover sooner; and I am now healthy: my eye hurt, and now I look both ways.
“And the military people told me,” said Pierre, “that it’s impossible to fight in the city and that the position ...
“Well, yes, that’s what we’re talking about,” said the first official.
- And what does it mean: my eye hurt, and now I look in both? Pierre said.
“The count had barley,” said the adjutant, smiling, “and he was very worried when I told him that people came to ask what was the matter with him. And what, count, ”the adjutant suddenly said, turning to Pierre with a smile,“ we heard that you have family concerns? What if the countess, your wife ...
“I didn’t hear anything,” Pierre said indifferently. – What did you hear?
- No, you know, because they often invent. I say what I heard.
– What did you hear?
“Yes, they say,” the adjutant said again with the same smile, “that the countess, your wife, is going abroad. Probably nonsense...
“Perhaps,” said Pierre, looking absently around him. - And who is this? he asked, pointing to a short old man in a clean blue coat, with a big beard as white as snow, the same eyebrows, and a ruddy face.
- This? This is a merchant alone, that is, he is an innkeeper, Vereshchagin. Have you heard this story about the proclamation?
- Oh, so this is Vereshchagin! - said Pierre, peering into the firm and calm face of the old merchant and looking for an expression of treachery in him.
- It's not him. This is the father of the one who wrote the proclamation,” said the adjutant. - That young one, sits in a hole, and it seems to him that it will be bad.
One old man, in a star, and the other, a German official, with a cross around his neck, approached the conversation.
“You see,” said the adjutant, “this is a complicated story. Appeared then, about two months ago, this proclamation. The Count was brought. He ordered an investigation. Here Gavrilo Ivanovich was looking for, this proclamation was in exactly sixty-three hands. He will come to one: who do you get from? - From that. He goes to: who are you from? etc., we got to Vereshchagin ... an undereducated merchant, you know, a merchant, my dear, - the adjutant said smiling. - They ask him: from whom do you have? And most importantly, we know from whom he has. He has no one else to get from, as from the director's mail. But, apparently, there was a strike between them. He says: from no one, I composed it myself. And they threatened and asked, he stood on that: he composed it himself. So they reported to the Count. The count ordered to call him. "From whom do you have a proclamation?" - "I wrote it myself." Well, you know the Count! the adjutant said with a proud and cheerful smile. - He flared up terribly, and think about it: such impudence, lies and stubbornness! ..
- BUT! The Count needed to point out Klyucharev, I understand! Pierre said.
“It’s not necessary at all,” the adjutant said frightened. - There were sins for Klyucharev even without this, for which he was exiled. But the fact is that the count was very indignant. “How could you compose? says the Count. I took this "Hamburg newspaper" from the table. - Here she is. You didn’t compose, but translated, and translated it badly, because you don’t know French, you fool.” What do you think? “No, he says, I didn’t read any newspapers, I composed them.” “And if so, then you are a traitor, and I will put you on trial, and you will be hanged. Tell me, from whom did you get it? “I didn’t see any newspapers, but I composed them.” And so it remained. The count also called on his father: he stands his ground. And they put him on trial, and sentenced, it seems, to hard labor. Now the father has come to plead for him. But bad boy! You know, a kind of merchant's son, a dandy, a seducer, he listened to lectures somewhere and already thinks that the devil is not his brother. After all, what a young man! His father has a tavern here by the Stone Bridge, so in the tavern, you know, there is a large image of the Almighty God and a scepter is presented in one hand, a power in the other; so he took this image home for a few days and what did he do! Found the bastard painter...

In the middle of this new story, Pierre was called to the commander in chief.
Pierre entered Count Rostopchin's office. Rostopchin, grimacing, was rubbing his forehead and eyes with his hand, while Pierre entered. The short man was saying something, and as soon as Pierre entered, he fell silent and left.
- BUT! Hello, great warrior, - said Rostopchin, as soon as this man left. - Heard about your prouesses [glorious deeds]! But that's not the point. Mon cher, entre nous, [Between us, my dear,] are you a Mason? - said Count Rostopchin in a stern tone, as if there was something wrong in this, but that he intended to forgive. Pierre was silent. - Mon cher, je suis bien informe, [To me, my dear, everything is well known,] but I know that there are Masons and Freemasons, and I hope that you do not belong to those who, under the guise of saving the human race, want to destroy Russia.
“Yes, I am a Mason,” answered Pierre.
“Well, you see, my dear. I think you are not unaware that Messrs. Speransky and Magnitsky have been sent to the right place; the same was done with Mr. Klyucharev, the same with others who, under the guise of building the temple of Solomon, tried to destroy the temple of their fatherland. You can understand that there are reasons for this and that I could not exile the local postmaster if he were not a harmful person. Now I know that you sent him yours. a carriage to get out of the city and even that you took papers from him for safekeeping. I love you and do not wish you harm, and since you are half my age, I, as a father, advise you to stop all contact with such people and leave here yourself as soon as possible.
- But what, count, is Klyucharev's fault? Pierre asked.
“It is my business to know and not yours to ask me,” cried Rostopchin.
“If he is accused of distributing Napoleon’s proclamations, then this has not been proven,” said Pierre (without looking at Rostopchin), “and Vereshchagin ...
- Nous y voila, [So it is,] - suddenly frowning, interrupting Pierre, Rostopchin screamed even louder than before. “Vereshchagin is a traitor and a traitor who will receive a well-deserved execution,” said Rostopchin with that fervor of anger with which people speak when they remember an insult. - But I did not call you to discuss my affairs, but to give you advice or orders, if you want it. I ask you to stop your relations with such gentlemen as Klyucharev and go from here. And I'll beat the crap, no matter who it is. - And, probably realizing that he seemed to be shouting at Bezukhov, who was not yet guilty of anything, he added, taking Pierre's hand in a friendly way: - Nous sommes a la veille d "un desastre publique, et je n" ai pas le temps de dire des gentillesses a tous ceux qui ont affaire a moi. My head is spinning sometimes! Eh! bien, mon cher, qu "est ce que vous faites, vous personnellement? [We are on the eve of a general disaster, and I have no time to be kind to everyone with whom I have business. So, my dear, what are you doing, you personally?]
- Mais rien, [Yes, nothing,] - Pierre answered, still without raising his eyes and without changing the expression of his thoughtful face.
The Count frowned.
- Un conseil d "ami, mon cher. Decampez et au plutot, c" est tout ce que je vous dis. A bon entendeur salut! Farewell, my dear. Oh, yes, he shouted to him from the door, is it true that the countess fell into the clutches of des saints peres de la Societe de Jesus? [Friendly advice. Get out soon, I'll tell you what. Blessed is he who knows how to obey!... the holy fathers of the Society of Jesus?]
Pierre did not answer and, frowning and angry, as he had never been seen, went out from Rostopchin.

By the time he got home, it was already getting dark. About eight different people visited him that evening. The secretary of the committee, the colonel of his battalion, the manager, the butler and various petitioners. Everyone had business before Pierre that he had to resolve. Pierre did not understand anything, was not interested in these matters, and gave only such answers to all questions that would free him from these people. Finally, left alone, he opened and read his wife's letter.
“They are soldiers on the battery, Prince Andrei is killed ... an old man ... Simplicity is obedience to God. You have to suffer… the meaning of everything… you have to match… your wife is getting married… You have to forget and understand…” And he went to the bed, without undressing, fell on it and immediately fell asleep.
When he woke up the next day in the morning, the butler came to report that a specially sent police official had come from Count Rostopchin to find out if Count Bezukhov had left or was leaving.
About ten different people dealing with Pierre were waiting for him in the living room. Pierre hastily dressed, and, instead of going to those who were waiting for him, he went to the back porch and from there went out through the gate.
From then until the end of the Moscow ruin, none of the Bezukhov households, despite all the searches, saw Pierre again and did not know where he was.

The Rostovs remained in the city until September 1, that is, until the eve of the enemy's entry into Moscow.
After Petya entered the regiment of Obolensky's Cossacks and left for Belaya Tserkov, where this regiment was being formed, fear came over the countess. The thought that both of her sons are at war, that both of them have left under her wing, that today or tomorrow each of them, and perhaps both together, like the three sons of one of her acquaintances, can be killed, for the first once now, this summer, came to her mind with cruel clarity. She tried to get Nikolai to her, she wanted to go to Petya herself, to find him somewhere in Petersburg, but both turned out to be impossible. Petya could not be returned otherwise than together with the regiment or by transfer to another active regiment. Nikolai was somewhere in the army, and after his last letter, in which he described in detail his meeting with Princess Marya, he did not give a rumor about himself. The countess did not sleep at night, and when she fell asleep, she saw her murdered sons in a dream. After many councils and negotiations, the count finally came up with a means to calm the countess. He transferred Petya from the Obolensky regiment to the Bezukhov regiment, which was being formed near Moscow. Although Petya remained in military service, but with this transfer, the countess had the consolation to see at least one son under her wing and hoped to arrange her Petya so that she would no longer let him out and always enroll in such places of service where he could not get in any way. into battle. While Nicolas alone was in danger, it seemed to the countess (and she even repented of this) that she loved her elder more than all the other children; but when the younger one, a naughty fellow who had studied badly, broke everything in the house and bored everyone with Petya, this snub-nosed Petya, with his merry black eyes, fresh blush and slightly piercing down on his cheeks, got there, to these big, terrible, cruel men who there they fight something and find something joyful in it - then it seemed to the mother that she loved him more, much more than all her children. The closer the time approached when the expected Petya was supposed to return to Moscow, the more the countess's anxiety increased. She already thought that she would never wait for this happiness. The presence of not only Sonya, but also her beloved Natasha, even her husband, irritated the countess. “What do I care about them, I don’t need anyone but Petya!” she thought.
In the last days of August, the Rostovs received a second letter from Nikolai. He wrote from the Voronezh province, where he was sent for horses. This letter did not reassure the countess. Knowing one son was out of danger, she became even more worried about Petya.
Despite the fact that already on the 20th of August almost all the Rostovs' acquaintances left Moscow, despite the fact that everyone persuaded the countess to leave as soon as possible, she did not want to hear anything about leaving until her treasure returned, adored Peter. Petya arrived on August 28. The painfully passionate tenderness with which his mother greeted him did not please the sixteen-year-old officer. Despite the fact that his mother hid from him her intention not to let him out now from under her wing, Petya understood her intentions and, instinctively afraid that he would not become soft with his mother, not get offended (as he thought with himself), he coldly treated with her, avoided her, and during his stay in Moscow exclusively kept the company of Natasha, for whom he always had a special, almost loving, brotherly tenderness.
Due to the count's usual carelessness, on August 28 nothing was yet ready for departure, and the carts expected from the Ryazan and Moscow villages to lift all the property from the house did not arrive until the 30th.
From August 28 to August 31, all of Moscow was in trouble and in motion. Every day, thousands of wounded in the Battle of Borodino were brought into and transported around Moscow to the Dorogomilovskaya outpost, and thousands of carts, with residents and property, went to other outposts. In spite of Rostopchin's billboards, either independently of them or because of them, the most contradictory and strange news was being broadcast around the city. Who spoke about the fact that no one was ordered to leave; who, on the contrary, said that they had taken all the icons from the churches and that they were all forcibly expelled; who said that there was another battle after Borodino, in which the French were defeated; who said, on the contrary, that the entire Russian army was destroyed; who talked about the Moscow militia, which will go ahead with the clergy to the Three Mountains; who quietly told that Augustine was not ordered to leave, that traitors were caught, that the peasants rebelled and robbed those who leave, etc., etc. But this was only said, and in fact, even those who were traveling, and those who remained (despite the fact that there had not yet been a council in Fili, at which it was decided to leave Moscow), all felt, although they did not show it, that Moscow would certainly be surrendered and that it was necessary to get out as soon as possible and save your property. It was felt that everything should suddenly break and change, but until the 1st, nothing had changed yet. Just as a criminal who is being led to execution knows that he is about to die, but still looks around him and adjusts his badly worn hat, so Moscow involuntarily continued its ordinary life, although it knew that the time of death was near, when all would be torn to pieces. those conditional relations of life to which we are accustomed to submit.
During these three days preceding the capture of Moscow, the entire Rostov family was in various everyday troubles. The head of the family, Count Ilya Andreich, constantly traveled around the city, collecting rumors from all sides, and at home made general superficial and hasty orders about preparations for departure.
The countess watched the cleaning of things, was dissatisfied with everything and went after Petya, who was constantly running away from her, jealous of him for Natasha, with whom he spent all the time. Sonya alone was in charge of the practical side of the matter: packing things. But Sonya has been especially sad and silent all this lately. Nicolas' letter, in which he mentioned Princess Marya, evoked in her presence the Countess's joyful reflections about how she saw God's Providence in Princess Marya's meeting with Nicolas.
“I never rejoiced then,” said the countess, “when Bolkonsky was Natasha’s fiancé, but I always wished, and I have a presentiment that Nikolinka will marry the princess. And how good it would be!
Sonya felt that this was true, that the only way to improve the affairs of the Rostovs was to marry a rich woman, and that the princess was a good match. But she was very sad about it. In spite of her grief, or perhaps precisely because of her grief, she took upon herself all the difficult cares of the arrangements for cleaning and packing things, and was busy all day long. The count and countess turned to her when they needed to order something. Petya and Natasha, on the contrary, not only did not help their parents, but for the most part they annoyed and interfered with everyone in the house. And all day long their running, screams and causeless laughter were almost audible in the house. They laughed and rejoiced not at all because there was a reason for their laughter; but their hearts were joyful and cheerful, and therefore everything that happened was for them a cause of joy and laughter. Petya was amused because, having left home as a boy, he returned (as everyone told him) as a fine man; it was merry because he was at home, because he had come from Belaya Tserkov, where there was no hope of falling into battle any time soon, to Moscow, where they would fight one of these days; and most importantly, cheerful because Natasha, whose spirit he always obeyed, was cheerful. Natasha, on the other hand, was cheerful because she had been sad for too long, and now nothing reminded her of the cause of her sadness, and she was healthy. She was also cheerful because there was a person who admired her (the admiration of others was that wheel grease that was necessary for her car to move completely freely), and Petya admired her. Most importantly, they were cheerful because the war was near Moscow, that they would fight at the outpost, that they were handing out weapons, that everyone was running away, leaving somewhere, that something extraordinary was happening in general, which is always joyful for a person, especially for a young one.

Claude Frollo is one of the central characters in Victor Hugo's most famous novel, Notre Dame Cathedral. In the image of a priest who is not able to fight temptation, but follows it, breaking the fates and lives of those around him, the author's condemnation is embodied. He confronts the main character of the novel Esmeralda and contrasts with his pupil - the unfortunate hunchback Quasimodo, who is capable of true love, unlike his teacher.

About Notre Dame Cathedral

Novel images

Claude Frollo, to whom our article is devoted, is one of the central images of the novel. Other images are no less interesting:

  • Esmeralda is the main character of the work. Very beautiful and kind, sincere girl. Once she was stolen by gypsies, and now she is dancing in the central square of the city with her goat. The events of the novel are concentrated around this heroine.
  • Quasimodo. The deaf hunchback, the bell-ringer of the cathedral. Once on the square, Esmeralda took pity on him, gave him water, the only one of hundreds of mocking Parisians. He fell in love with the girl to the depths of his soul, and his whole life is dedicated to her.
  • Phoebe de Chateaupe. Captain of the Royal Rifles. Handsome and young, Esmeralda will love him.
  • Claude Frollo - rector of the cathedral, priest. We will not dwell on his image here, as we will devote several sections of the article to him further.
  • Pierre Gringoire is a free poet, the named husband of Esmeralda.

Also in the novel there is a historical character - Louis XI.

Image of Claude Frollo

This priest is Esmeralda's sinister pursuer. He, like Quasimodo, follows the girl everywhere. But the hunchback does it with the best of intentions, while Frollo is blinded by a passion that drives him crazy.

Let's start with the appearance of this character. The first thing that catches the eye is his "severe, closed, gloomy face." When he first sees the girl and her dance, he is overcome by mixed feelings, passion and delight are replaced by anger and hatred. Claude's appearance is not attractive, but it does not cause negativity either. He is a tall, stately man of about thirty-six. Despite his youth, he is already gray and bald. From his youth, he has been devoted to science and knows that the fate of a clergyman awaits him.

Claude Frollo, whose characteristics are ambiguous, has been fighting with himself all his adult life. But apparently, his spirit is not strong enough. And he falls into temptation, which he cannot resist. Instead of repenting of his weakness, the priest falls into anger, and the darkness now swallows him whole. He is cruel and will stop at nothing to achieve his goal.

Esmeralda and Frollo

Claude Frollo and Esmeralda act as antagonists. Esmeralda is bright and clean, despite the fact that she is a street dancer. Uneducated and raised by gypsies and vagabonds. At the same time, she is open, all her feelings are visible, maybe that's why they are so sincere and crystal. Esmeralda does not hide what she feels. Selfless love for the handsome Phoebus, sympathy for Quasimodo and a burning disgust and fear of the abbot - all this lies on the surface and can be seen with the naked eye.

Claude Frollo is forced to hide his essence from an early age. The role of a diligent student and an ascetic crumbles in the face of burning, all-consuming passion. This is not love (like Quasimodo, who loves a young gypsy with all his open, wounded heart), this is a blinding passion, a desire to possess a girl like a precious thing, to subjugate her to himself. He is not capable of self-sacrifice, rather, he will sacrifice the lives of others for the sake of his interests and needs. Love cannot find a place in his frozen heart, it only burns his body and mind with fire.

Character features

Perhaps the point is not even in the passion for Esmeralda herself, but still in the features of Frollo's character. As we learn from the pages of the novel, the clergyman was absorbed in science until he exhausted all possible options for knowledge. Further, he was fascinated by alchemy as a closed science, accessible only to the elite. Maybe it would have been the same with his painful, pathological love, knowing which Frollo would have got rid of his sizzling addiction. But fate did not allow him to comprehend real feelings. When Esmeralda is executed, whose death he himself is guilty of, Quasimodo throws him off the wall of the cathedral, and the priest is crushed to death. Killed by his pupil, the abbot pays for his life full of malice and search. After all, even Quasimodo was brought up by him not out of pity for the child, but out of purely his own motives.

Claude Frollo in cinema

Due to its popularity and action, the novel was not ignored by either playwrights or filmmakers. A lot of films were shot, a lot of theatrical dramas were staged.

In modern cinema, the role of a priest was played by Walter Hempden, A. Marakulin and many other movie stars.