Resumo de The Hunchback Of Notre Dame

Hugo's first novel, originally published under the name Notre-Dame de Paris,
although it has become associated with the "horror" genre, is in
reality an epic, sweeping examination of man's relationship with fate,
and the ways in which love and desire carve out our indivudual paths
through the tapestry of collective destiny. Set in medieval
Paris, this masterpiece boasts many colorful and unforgettable
characters in addition to the familiar Quasimodo (the hunchbacked
bell-ringer of the title) and La Esmeralda, the gypsy dancer who
captures his heart with her kindness. There is Quasimodo's guardian,
the Archdeacon Claude Frollo, one of the most powerful men of the city,
a holy man tormented by guilt over his secret obsession with alchemy-
and worse, over his ever-growing lust for the free-spirited gypsy girl;
Captain Phoebus de Chateupers, the boastful, social-climbing soldier
who becomes the object of Esmeralda's naive affections, a shallow
lothario who uses his looks and charm to manipulate every situation to
his advantage; Pierre Gringoire, poet, playwright and ostensible
narrator of the tale, whose perspective on the society of medieval
Paris is broadened by his association with the underground world of
thieves, beggars and whores to which Esmeralda connects him; Clopin,
the proud and stout-hearted king of this underground; Gudule, the
reclusive hag who lives in self-imposed penitent isolation out of grief
for an infant daughter stolen by gypsies, years before; Jehan Frollo,
the archdeacon's amoral younger brother, a revolutionary; and even the
King of France himself, a man with a good heart guided by reason, but
isolated from the reality of his people by the very hierarchy he
presides over. This myriad of characters, and many more, play out
their compelling, interwoven relationships within the framework of the
overall plot, at the center of which is Esmeralda. The
Archdeacon, in his obsession for her, tries with the aid of his
monstrous ward to abduct her, but she is rescued by Phoebus. The
deformed bellringer is captured, though Frollo escapes, and as he is
punished at the public pillory for his crime, Esmeralda shows her
kindness by bringing him a drink of water. Frollo, now driven to
the brink of madness, manages to arrange a clandestine rendezvous
between Phoebus and Esmeralda, who has become smitten with the captain
since her rescue; but at the meeting, Frollo himself stabs the captain
and frames Esmeralda for the murder (though Phoebus is, in fact, only
wounded). She is convicted and sentenced to hang, but the
Archdeacon offers her freedom in exchange for her love, which she
refuses; but on the day of her would-be execution, as she does public
penance on the steps of Notre Dame cathedral, Quasimodo swings from the
towers above and rescues her, carrying her into the church where the
law cannot touch her, crying "Sanctuary." From there on, the
novel follows the various political and personal machinations which
surround her fate, as Frollo, Gringoire, the Court of Beggars and the
King himself become enmeshed in plots and counter-plots to either save
the gypsy- or end her life; in the meantime, Esmeralda and Quasimodo
gradually get to know each other in the high towers of the cathedral,
learning, perhaps, the true nature of love in it's purest form. A
powerful tale which takes the reader on a spectacular ride, full of
humor, social commentary (as true today as it was both in the time of
the novel's setting and the time of it's writing in the mid-19th
century), tragedy and, above all, a humanism that transcends any
attempts to morally judge its characters; even the doomed, hypcritical
Archdeacon is ultimately a victim of a fate over which he has no
control. The power of Hugo's prose paints an indelible picture of
each of the multitude of characters, to say nothing of capturing, with
an amazing, nearly photographic clarity, the look and feel of the
al Paris in which it is set- indeed, an entire chapter (often
skipped by impatient readers, but well worth the time for those who
wish to appreciate the full rewards of this novel) is devoted to a
detailed description of the city's history, layout and
architecture. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is
one of those rare novels whose classic status grows with each
succeeding generation. It is well-deserved of its fame, and
belongs on the must-read list of any fan of literature.

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