The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Victor Hugo [264]
13 (p. 240) spelled this word:—“PHŒBUS”: From her first introduction, Djali, with her remarkable grace, beauty, and mystery, is figured as Esmeralda’s double in every way. Yet in spite of their sororal complicity, Djali works against Esmeralda here, setting in motion a chain of events that will lead to disaster.
14 (p. 269) “do its work!”: In this image of the spider and the fly, we see anankè (the French rendition of the Greek word for “fate”) at work. A metaphor for his own unstoppable path toward calamity, this image will repeatedly come back to Frollo during the course of the novel.
15 (p. 318) “pity upon me!”: After the slow revelation of Frollo’s secret obsession with Esmeralda, this frenzied confession of his love reveals the depth of Frollo’s “misery.” The antithetical discourse employed by Frollo (abhorred/loved, torture/caress) further emphasizes the abyss that divides—and that will continue to divide—the priest from the gypsy.
16 (p. 339) strength of God: No longer the passive participant that he was during the Feast of Fools, his trial, and his torture, Quasimodo, with foresight and purpose, saves Esmeralda here from her imminent death. From this point on, he will remain active and even proactive in his behavior, seeking to protect Esmeralda at all costs.
17 (p. 360) gipsy utterly amazed: Like all of Hugo’s heroes, Quasimodo is unable to communicate in a way that allows him to connect to others. With the exception of Frollo, with whom Quasimodo converses using a rudimentary mixture of signs and gestures, he is literally (as a result of his deafness) cut off from the world around him. The failure of this effort to express his feelings to Esmeralda underscores his isolation, as his only recourse is to silence.
18 (p. 436) “my good Bastille?”: The answer to this question will, of course, come during the Revolution, when this Bastille, from which Louis XI so confidently monitors the vagrants’ uprising, is the location of a “successful” assault, one that signals the beginning of the end for the French monarchy.
19 (p. 438) “It is myself!”: With the threat of fissure ever present in his mind, Louis XI will be merciless in his repression of the vagrants. The difference in his attitude between the moment when he approves of the revolt (believing it to be against the Provost of the Palace and thus furthering his goal of eliminating decentralized power) and the moment when he does not (learning that it is against the Church, which is under his protection) highlights the unwavering tyranny of this king, who uses the people as a political instrument.
20 (p. 449) “your deaf friend ... who it could be?”: Once the unique object of Frollo’s love, Jehan, whose gruesome death at the hands of Quasimodo is relived here, has been all but forgotten by the priest during his increasingly relentless pursuit of Esmeralda. Yet no more than he could force his brother to yield to his wishes can he force Esmeralda to yield to his advances: Frollo-even when disguised, as he is here—continues to inspire only horror in her.
21 (p. 451 ) stolen away with the goat ... Rue Grenier-sur-l‘Eau: Gringoire’s escape with Djali instead of Esmeralda again underscores the fact that the goat is her mistress’s double. But Djali represents for Gringoire a more “attainable” version of Esmeralda, one who will re turn his affection. This burlesque couple will be among the few to survive the mass evacuation of characters that is about to occur.
22 (p. 467) was no longer there: In spite of Esmeralda’s plea, no “help” will come from the guardsman. This final appearance—and disappearance—of Phoebus, which leads directly to Esmeralda’s perdition, accentuates, on the contrary, her complete and utter insignificance to him.
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