Judge Claude Frollo



Quasimodo (Tom Hulce), the bell ringing Hunchback of Notre Dame, believes that he was abandoned by his gypsy mother 20 years ago and that Judge Claude Frollo (Tony Jay), the Minister of Justice, felt pity for the baby and took him in to raise him as his own. That's not exactly how things went down. In fact, if it weren't for Notre Dame's Archdeacon, Frollo would have doomed Quasimodo to certain death at the bottom of a nearby well rather than look upon his deformed face again. Since that fateful night, Frollo has taught Quasimodo that he is an ugly monster and that he should never step foot outside the walls of Notre Dame. Everything changes when Quasimodo decides to do just that.

The annual Festival of Fools introduces both Quasimodo and Frollo to the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda (Demi Moore). She helps crown Quasimodo as the King of Fools, and when the cruel crowd turns on him when his deformity is discovered, it is Esmeralda who helps him escape from the public spectacle. Frollo is embarassed by this voluptuous girl and commands Captain Phoebus (Kevin Kline) to arrest the girl, but the gallant and moral soldier helps her claim sanctuary inside Notre Dame. It is there where Esmeralda learns more about Quasimodo, and he in turn helps her escape.

Soon, Quasimodo and Phoebus both find themselves falling in love with the gypsy girl. But in a strange twist, so does Frollo. Locked away in his chamber, Frollo curses Esmeralda for bewitching him, and stoking the fires of lust inside him. It is there that he proclaims that if he cannot have her, she will burn for her crimes. Frollo commands his troops to cleanse the city of the gypsies; when Phoebus defies Frollo's orders, he becomes an outlaw as well. Soon, Phoebus enlists Quasimodo's help to find Esmeralda to warn the gypsies of Frollo's plans to attack their hideaway, the Court of Miracles. Unbeknonst to them, they lead Frollo and his troops right to the gypsies.

Phoebus is arrested and Frollo is set to burn Esmeralda at the stake, but Quasimodo saves the day, overcoming his insecurities about his looks and swooping down to grab Esmeralda. Frollo, fed up with being upstaged and defied by outlaws and freaks, finally sets out to do what he wanted to do two decades earlier: kill Quasimodo. Frollo tries to stab Quasimodo in the hunchback, and the fight leads out to the balcony of Notre Dame. Trying to murder Quasimodo and Esmeralda, Frollo falls to his death when he steps out onto a loose piece of the church's architechture. And that's pretty much the final confirmation that Quasimodo's gargoyle friends were never rooting for the Minister of Justice; the hunchback was always their favorite. INTELLIGENCE - 7: Frollo is a devious and shrewd liar, leveraging his position of power to his own will.

POWER - 4: The Minister of Justice is an old, frail man, relying on his troops to do his dirty work.

VILENESS - 10: Frollo is set to drop a poor baby down a well and murder gypsies because of his own sexual insecurities.

SWAY - 7: He did plenty to verbally beat down Quasimodo over the years and keep the Parisians in check.

PURITY - 8: Frollo's lust for Esmeralda and devotion to the church distract him from his mission to rid Paris of its "gypsy problem."

PHYSICAL - 5: His goofy hat clashes with his beady eyes and constant snarl.