Outlining Baptism and Judgement in Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Baptism: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Standing on her pyre, awaiting her death, Esmeralda understands the true meaning of baptism and judgment. She encounters and confronts the judgment of others by making a statement in those last moments that she will not lose hope. Through this, she reveals the truth those around her. In The Hunchback of Notre Dame, baptism and judgment are explored through many different characters and many different plot devices. The two main characters that most encounter these themes of baptism and judgment are Judge Claude Frollo and Esmeralda. “Tokens of Trust” by Rowan Williams explores the idea of the coming final judgment.

He states that “At one level, we are left naked and undefended, with nothing of our own to appeal or hide behind; yet we trust that we are gifted with the clothing, the defence we need. It’s no accident, then, that the ritual of Christian baptism in its most primitive form involved stripping and immersion and reclothing.” (Williams 145) In The Hunchback of Notre Dame, this statement can be applied to the judgment of others. One example of this is Frollo’s harsh judgment of Esmeralda and the gypsies. Esmeralda is one character who experiences this idea of a Christian baptism. However, this can be applied to Captain Phoebus and Quasimodo as well.

It is important to note that in this essay I will be referring to the most recent musical version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as the story differs a bit from the Disney animated version. Frollo develops a deep disdain for the gypsies after his brother is expelled from Notre Dame for relations with a gypsy. He blames the gypsies for taking his brother from him as he was not allowed to communicate with his brother – Jehan. Also, in that time period there was much suspicion about magic so there was a lot of fear about gypsies using magic. Frollo meets Esmeralda during the feast of fools where she uses magic and almost immediately he becomes taken to her. He faces a conflict as he believes that as a Christian man he shouldn’t have any mercy on the gypsies. As Frollo searches for Esmeralda, she undergoes several changes.

She questions her faith and grows through her meetings with Quasimodo in the bell tower.

She begins to see life in a more hopeful light and her past use of magic and sins begin to be wiped away. Frollo however finds her and sentences her to be burned at the stake. The quote I noted in my first paragraph mentions how through judgement we’re left fully vulnerable. In using Esmeralda as an example, her magic and tricks were things that she would hide behind.

She was able to explore the superficial and not have any deep relationships with the people she saw. Moving from town to town dancing and performing magic was an escape. Being brought before the town, Esmeralda is stripped of any barriers. She can no longer hide and is forced to make a decision on her beliefs. She is finally connecting and standing up for what she believes.

Williams notes 1 Corinthians 15:53-54 on page 145. It is a verse that is very much applicable to Esmeralda’s situation. 1 Corinthians 15:53-54 says, “For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’” Though Esmeralda does die in the musical, she is never truly gone. By standing up for what she believes – hope in a better future – and what is right or just, she leaves behind an impression on the characters that remain. Captain Phoebus, when we meet him at the beginning of the musical is a young soldier with only one thing on his mind – his job. However, through his interactions with Esmeralda he is able to share her beliefs and carry them out after she is gone. Her victory was carried out through her death.

Williams suggests that when we are really stripped down to nothing our true desires will be really shown. On page 146 he says, “It is a sobering sight (not only for Archbishops), a reminder that death is a nakedness to which we must all come, a spiritual stripping, as we are confronted by God. The identities we have made, that we have pulled around ourselves like a comfortable dressing-gown or a smart suit will dissolve, and what is deepest in us, what we most want, what we most care about, will be laid bare. (Williams 146-147) This is most expressed through the song “Someday” in the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Esmeralda has already been sentenced to death at this point and knows her fate but still has hope. Her true desire for a fairer life is revealed and she urges Captain Phoebus to act on her beliefs when she’s gone. She believes that her true hopes will be realized whether she is here to see them or not. She sings, “And though I will die long before that morning comes, I’ll die while believing still it will come when I am gone.” And “Someday life will be fairer, need will be rarer, greed will not pay.” For Esmeralda, I believe her figurative baptism occurs not when she’s put on the pyre but when she enters the church and sings “God Help the Outcasts”. She is given a choice to change and really stand up for her people instead of hiding under her tricks. Another character that goes through this stripping process is Frollo – though I will say it is quite a different process for him than for Esmeralda. His moment when his desires were revealed was in his song “Hellfire”. He, like everyone else, struggles with sin. He believes strongly that he is more righteous than most people and this leads him into some trouble. When he sings “Hellfire” he is stripped of that righteous guise. He is forced to confront his sexual temptations and judgements that he has on others. Quasimodo undergoes baptism as well. His baptism occurs towards the end during his solo, “Made of Stone”. He has a choice to save Esmeralda or let her burn. Not only that but he’s put in a position where he has to chose what he’s going to stand up for – whether to allow himself to think of him as the hunchbacked bell ringer or to believe that he can do anything he tries to do. In the moment when he’s forced to make a choice, Esmeralda’s impression on him allows him to share her hopes and be strong for her. He attempts to rescue her and pulls her off her pyre before burning.

1 Corinthians 15:53-54 is truly exemplified through Esmeralda’s impression on those around her. She is truly immortalized by the impact she had on Quasimodo and Phoebus. In turn, the impact that she had on the world around her. Baptism is a powerful thing that can impact not only the person undergoing the baptism but those around them. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is an extremely visual example of that. The play is shaped by the decisions made by the characters and the decisions made are shaped by the baptisms that each character undergoes.