The Musical Version of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' is the Best | Column

*Contains spoilers for the musical's ending*

Victor Hugo is a French novelist and poet famous as the author of 'Les Misérables'.
There are numerous film adaptations of one of his masterpieces, 'Notre-Dame de Paris' (1831).
Among them, my personal favorite is the musical version of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' produced by Disney.
It is composed of songs based on the animated version and is performed in Japan by the Gekidan Shiki theatre company.

This article is a fan-focused discussion of that musical version, and it is almost entirely about Archdeacon Frollo. Specifically, his love-hate relationship with his brother Jehan and his projection onto Quasimodo.
I hope this will be an opportunity for you to become even slightly interested in this work, which has a different charm from the animated version.

Also, please note that this article does not follow the story in detail, so it is intended for those who have already watched the animated version or otherwise know the plot.

▼ Story and character introductions are on the official website.
🔗Gekidan Shiki 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' Official Website

— This is a story of brothers and their lineage

In this work, Quasimodo's father, Jehan, appears as an original element.
Jehan is Frollo's younger brother. In other words, Frollo and Quasimodo are uncle and nephew.
This setting makes the character relationships in the musical version complicated and psychologically profound.

The story begins with the upbringing of the brothers Frollo and Jehan.
The two were orphans and were raised in the church.
For Frollo, Jehan was the only family he had in this world.
It is not hard to imagine how important his younger brother Jehan was to the kind-hearted Frollo.
'To become a virtuous believer and live happily together in the church'—that was Frollo's dream.

However, Jehan was a hedonist, the exact opposite of Frollo.
The serious older brother was disappointed in his younger brother, who hated studying and spent his time playing in taverns and other such places.
He tried his best to rehabilitate him, but eventually, Jehan was excommunicated from the church, and the brothers went their separate ways.

Years later, when Frollo, who had risen to power in the church, reunited with Jehan, his brother was on his deathbed.
Frollo was entrusted with the baby Quasimodo by Jehan, who asked him to take care of the child, but he refused because the mother was a Gypsy.
However, with his dying breath, Jehan said one thing firmly: 'He is my son.'

Jehan passed away just like that. When a grief-stricken Frollo looked at the baby in his arms, he saw a monstrous appearance.
Frollo thought this ugliness was 'punishment for the sins of the unfaithful (his parents, the brother and the Gypsy)' and 'God's judgment,' so he decided to kill the baby.
However, at that moment, he felt the gaze of the stone statues on the exterior wall of the church. Feeling 'fear' that 'God is watching,' Frollo decided to raise Quasimodo.
And he gave the child a name: 'Quasimodo' (meaning 'half-formed').

— The 'projection' of conflict and escapism

Jehan, the only family Frollo had, was dead.
He had truly wanted to bring his brother back and live together in the protected sanctuary of the church.
That was happiness (and duty) for Frollo, but it did not come to pass.
The reason was that his brother was 'evil' and 'weak'.
And because he himself was powerless and 'half-formed'.

Frollo expresses his thoughts on his brother's humanity using the words mentioned above.
However, I do not think Frollo consciously admits that 'he himself is half-formed'.
This is just my speculation, a 'what if' that it might have been in Frollo's subconscious.

Frollo was an orphan, and one can imagine he lived a life with no choices.
He survived by following the correct teachings of the church, serving God, and being pious and serious.
Based on his past experience, Frollo's survival instinct does not allow for a degenerate lifestyle like Jehan's. Being 'half-formed' means death.

Even if it is only one side of himself, Frollo would likely be unable to accept being 'half-formed.' Because if he were to accept that label even once, his heart would break.
Therefore, Frollo attaches that 'half-formed' label to his son, Quasimodo, along with his hatred for Jehan. That cruel name.
I feel that the 'half-formed' meaning embedded here is complex, involving the self he does not want to acknowledge, his love-hate for his brother, and the ugliness of Quasimodo's appearance (= disgust for his own bloodline).

I think Frollo projected the 'half-formed self' within him, which he did not want to acknowledge, onto Quasimodo.
And he vowed revenge through Quasimodo's life.
To fulfill the dreams and duties he could not do for Jehan, and that Jehan could not achieve.
To become a 'correct human being' like Frollo.

I think love and hate for Jehan swirl within Frollo.
He turned a blind eye to the essence of Jehan, who was naturally cheerful and loved freedom, and forced him to become a serious and zealous believer like himself.
Because he was precious and he wanted to protect him, he prioritized his desire to keep him as someone he could control.

Though he wouldn't say it out loud, there must have been jealousy toward Jehan as well.
I feel that Frollo secretly admired his brother, who lived as himself, defying authority, while he himself lived wearing a mask.

— That delicacy and contradiction is a 'déjà vu' common to all humanity

I think Frollo is a person with a very delicate and complex heart.
And because of that, Frollo denies everything.
Esmeralda, Jehan, and Quasimodo. And the weak self that loves someone.
It is a form of self-defense.

Frollo is also inflexible.
He is a perfectionist with a narrow perspective and lacks emotional flexibility.
However, as a benefit of that, he is a very hard worker and climbed the ranks of the church organization to seize power. For better or worse, he is a tenacious type.
At the beginning of the story, there is a scene where he rejoices at a letter from Jehan after a long time and rides his horse despite his position being at risk, which shows that his love for those he has deep relationships with is boundless, and he will go to great lengths for those he has opened his heart to.

As I mentioned earlier, because he is complex and delicate, and because he is too kind, he may not have been able to yield an inch; perhaps he had no choice but to build a sturdy castle and hole up in it because if he yielded, he would break.

He describes his love and passion for Esmeralda as a 'wicked fire' and despises it thoroughly.
When Frollo sees Esmeralda, he feels pain.
Because the 'instinctual self = the true self' that he has turned a blind eye to until now shows its face.
His true self is a person like the brother he has despised until now, or the Gypsies.
A person who lives as themselves without wearing a suffocating mask, who does not follow anyone and lives their own life.

And the woman Jehan loved was also a Gypsy.
He should have hated Gypsies as beings who seduced and stole his brother, but in the end, he falls in love with Esmeralda, who is a Gypsy.
Frollo lives within such an intense contradiction.

Perhaps 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' became a masterpiece because it contains a 'déjà vu' common to humanity that transcends time.

— The final scene and the question, 'The difference between human and monster'

The first two lines are the voice of conscience within Frollo, his pious heart of mercy.
In fact, Frollo is at level 100 in terms of being twisted toward Quasimodo, but he loves him.
Because he sees the shadows of himself and his brother within Quasimodo.
Even when Quasimodo grows up, Frollo calls him 'this child,' and when Quasimodo goes outside on his own, he scolds him, saying, 'Never go outside again,' but his tone is not cold, but desperate.
He genuinely believes that the abusive behavior he is inflicting on Quasimodo is a virtuous 'guidance'.
However, as you can see from the final line, the standard for 'correctness' for Frollo is himself.
That narrow perspective and limited set of choices lead to tragedy.

In the final scene of the story, Frollo is thrown from the top of the cathedral by Quasimodo and loses his life.
The words Quasimodo finally hurled at Frollo were the same words he had heard from him countless times before: "The wicked shall be punished."
And from the opening to the finale, this work continues to pose a question to the audience.

The "monster" referred to here is not a cryptid or a ghost, but a "monster" as a concept.
Because of his appearance, Quasimodo has lived his whole life being reviled as a "monster."
However, Quasimodo was a truly beautiful-hearted, kind, and simple "human."
At least, until he took Frollo's life.

In the final scene, if you look only at the events, it is a happy ending. Evil has been defeated.
However, the only one left at the end is Quasimodo, who now bears the sin of murder.
Only the "monster," who was originally just a human, is left behind.
And in this world, the wicked are punished.

─ In Conclusion

I believe there is no difference between humans and monsters.
Monsters were also originally human, and humans create monsters.
Just as the source of human anger is fear or sadness.
Creating things that do not exist, being afraid, and destroying them is the very history that humans have repeated.

There might be a "monster" inside you, the reader. Of course, there is one inside me, the writer, as well.
What kind of "monster" is it?
Please take a moment to think about it while listening to "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."



This work is available on Apple Music and other platforms. Please, please, please give it a listen.
There are both Japanese versions (two Shiki versions) and English versions, but I have posted my personal recommendation below.
🔗Shiki Theatre Company Musical "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (Original Soundtrack, Tokyo Premiere Cast, Quasimodo: Naoto Kaiho)

─ Aside

In the original novel, there is a scene where Esmeralda is captured in a prison cell.
When she is about to be executed, Frollo offers to let her out of the cell if she accepts his love. It is a threat.
Frollo then speaks for several pages in an incredibly long monologue about how much he loves Esmeralda.
It is surprisingly long, tedious, and persistent.

However, what is even more amazing is Esmeralda.
She doesn't listen to a word Frollo says, insisting only on "Just let me see Captain Phoebus."
Frollo, who thought she would immediately agree, starts to panic halfway through and ends up repeatedly trying to soothe her by saying, "Just listen to me."

This scene is highly recommended because the contrast between Frollo's creepy, long-winded speech and Esmeralda's stubbornness is very interesting.

*The above uses Amazon Associates.