hbndstory

The Story of

One morning, as the bells of the great Cathedral of Notre Dame echoed over the rooftops of Paris, a gypsy puppeteer named Clopin was entertaining the crowd of eager children gathered before his puppet theater.Clopin told the children to listen carefully to the beautiful bells up in the tower of the cathedral. When the ringing of the bells had quietly faded away, he told them about a special mystery. The children listened intently as Clopin began to tell them the story of the bell ringer of Notre Dame. It was a tale of a man . . . and a monster!
Nearly 20 years before, a gypsy family had secretly slipped into Paris, only to be met at the docks by the evil Judge Claude Frollo and his brutal soldiers. Frollo despised the gypsies, for to him, they represented all that was bad in the world. Frollo rode after a fleeing gypsy woman and grabbed a bundle out of her arms. As Frollo pulled the bundle away from the woman, she fell backwards and hit her head on the stone steps of the very cathedral where she had fled for sanctuary. Frollo unwrapped the parcel as it began to wriggle and cry. It was a baby—a poor, misshapen infant. To Frollo, it looked more like a monster than a child! Frollo intended to drop the baby down a nearby well to dispose of the monster, but the Archdeacon of the cathedral stopped him. The Archdeacon told Frollo that the eyes of Notre Dame were looking down upon him in judgment, and Frollo suddenly feared for the fate of his soul. Frollo agreed to adopt the baby, as long as the Archdeacon would keep the child hidden away inside Notre Dame.
Frollo named the child Quasimodo, which means "half-formed" in Latin. Clopin paused and looked out at the children, who were spellbound by his story. Bringing their attention back to him, he posed a riddle: "Who is the monster? And who is the man?"
High above, in the bell tower of the cathedral, lived a gentle young man who knew nothing of Clopin or of the tale that he told. Nor did the young man know anything of the world that existed below, other than what he observed from his tower home. The young man was Quasimodo! He had spent every day of his 20 years within the cathedral, where it was his daily task to ring the magnificent bells.
Although Quasimodo lived alone, he had three imaginary friends—Hugo, Victor and Laverne. To everyone else they were merely stone gargoyles, but to Quasimodo they were living, speaking friends. Quasimodo was sitting solemnly in front of the miniature of Paris that he had carved and painted. He was thinking about the Feast of Fools, and what fun it would be if he could participate in the festival, instead of just watching it from high in the bell tower.
The gargoyles urged Quasimodo to sneak out and attend the celebration. Quasimodo wanted more than anything else to Go to the festival, but he told the gargoyles that Frollo had told him that he would not fit in—he was not normal. The gargoyles insisted that Quasimodo attend the festival until, finally, he gave in.
Just as Quasimodo was about to leave, Frollo appeared. As they went over Quasimodo’s ABCs, Quasimodo slipped and answered "festival" for "F." Frollo knew that Quasimodo was thinking about going to the Festival of Fools. Frollo convinced Quasimodo that he, Frollo, was doing his ward a favor by keeping him shut up in the bell tower, away from the cruel townspeople.
Meanwhile, down in the town square, a beautiful gypsy named Esmeralda was dancing. Approaching from the crowd was the handsome Phoebus, Frollo’s new Captain of the Guard, who had just arrived in the city. His eyes met Esmeralda’s, and for a moment each held the other’s glance.
Up in the bell tower, the gargoyles had persuaded Quasimodo to go through with his plan to attend the festival. Disguised in a cloak and hood, he nimbly climbed down the side of the cathedral. The Topsy Turvy Day Parade was in full swing. Everywhere in the cathedral square, townspeople were dressed in funny costumes, musicians played, and peasants danced. Although he tried to remain out of sight, Quasimodo could not avoid being swept up in the festivity.
As he anxiously searched for a place to hide, Quasimodo lost his balance and fell into Esmeralda’s dressing room. The beautiful gypsy, who was about to put on her costume for her dance performance, asked Quasimodo if he was hurt. When she pushed his hood aside, Quasimodo cowered, waiting for her to shriek when she saw his face. Esmeralda surprised Quasimodo—she didn’t shriek or cry out. She just congratulated him on his great mask!

Quasimodo roamed the square, thrilled by all the activity. Soon it was time for Esmeralda to perform. She danced her way over to Frollo on the reviewing stand. The judge could not take his eyes off the gypsy girl. Neither could Phoebus or Quasimodo. Esmeralda even winked at Quasimodo as he passed by, making him blush. When she had finished her performance, Clopin appeared onstage to announce the crowning of the King of Fools.
As people in grotesque masks scrambled onto the platform, Esmeralda saw Quasimodo, and pulled him onto the stage. Esmeralda went down the line of contenders for the King of Fools, removing each one’s disguise. When she reached Quasimodo, she realized that he was not wearing a mask, after all! The crowd gasped. But Clopin reminded them that they were looking for the ugliest face in Paris—and that is what they got! Quasimodo was paraded through the streets as the ugliest King of Fools ever, but soon the crowd got out of hand, and began to throw things at him and taunt him.
Even though Phoebus asked permission to stop the cruelty, and Quasimodo pleaded for his master’s help, Frollo refused. It was Esmeralda who came to Quasimodo’s rescue. Enraged, Frollo ordered the gypsy girl arrested. Esmeralda escaped into the cathedral, where Phoebus helped her claim sanctuary under the protection of the Archdeacon. She followed Quasimodo up into the bell tower, and saw the miniature model of Paris that Quasimodo had carved.Esmeralda told Quasimodo that he was not the monster that his master said he was, and Quasimodo began to think that what Frollo had told him about the gypsies' being evil was not true, either. Then Quasimodo offered Esmeralda a way to escape from the cathedral undetected. Picking up the gypsy and her goat, Djali, he skillfully leapt from the bell tower, swinging and sliding down the face of the cathedral. Before she told him goodbye, Esmeralda gave Quasimodo a woven necklace that contained directions to the gypsies' secret hiding place within Paris: the Court of Miracles.
Not knowing that Frollo was secretly watching them, Quasimodo met up with Phoebus, and showed him the necklace that Esmeralda had given him. Quasimodo explained that it was a map of Paris, and they followed itto a cemetery. Quasimodo found a hidden entrance beneath the graves, and the two descended. Suddenly they were plunged into darkness. When the light returned, they were surrounded by gypsies wearing skeleton costumes.
Clopin stepped out of the crowd and escorted Phoebus and Quasimodo to a scaffold. Clopin had them gagged, then held a mock trial and quickly found them guilty of spying for Frollo. But just as they were about to be hanged,

Esmeralda burst through the crowd and mounted the scaffold. She told the gypsies how Phoebus and Quasimodo had helped her escape.
After Esmeralda freed them, Phoebus turned to the crowd and warned them that Frollo was coming. When the gypsies thanked Phoebus, he told them that without Quasimodo's help, he would never have found the Court of Miracles.Suddenly, Frollo and his soldiers appeared. He strode up to Phoebus, Esmeralda, and Quasimodo, as frightened gypsy families tried to escape. Frollo announced that Quasimodo had led him right to them. Esmeralda accused Frollo of tricking Quasimodo.
Quasimodo was horrified! His friends had been captured, and it was all because of him. As the soldiers led Esmeralda and Phoebus away, Frollo ordered his men to chain Quasimodo up in the bell tower.In horror, Quasimodo watched Frollo's men prepare to burn Esmeralda at the stake. As she stood helpless and bound, Quasimodo knelt motionless and defeated. Below, in the cathedral square, Frollo lit the fire. Above, Quasimodo began to tug at his chains. He pulled with all his strength, and the pillars that held him began to crumble. Quasimodo was free!
Swiftly, Quasimodo swung down the wall of the cathedral to rescue Esmeralda, who had been overcome by smoke. Then he carried her limp form back up the face of Notre Dame, as the crowd watched in amazement. Unharmed, Quasimodo hoisted himself onto a balcony and raised the unconscious Esmeralda over his head, shouting out for sanctuary at the top of his lungs.
As Frollo ordered his soldiers to attack the cathedral, Phoebus freed himself and the gypsies from the carts where they had been imprisoned. Phoebus challenged the citizens of Paris to stand up to Frollo and defend their beloved Notre Dame. Then Clopin and Phoebus led the angry crowd against the soldiers.
Up in the bell tower, Quasimodo and the gargoyles were holding off Frollo's troops any way they could. But Quasimodo was getting tired; Would the soldiers never cease their attack? He could hear the great doors of Notre Dame giving way. Resting for a moment, Quasimodo felt hopeless. Then he had an idea!
Hugo and Victor were fanning the flames under the huge vat of hot lead that Quasimodo kept in the bell tower. Using all his strength, Quasimodo tipped the vat over, and the boiling liquid flowed through the gutter spouts and down the front of the cathedral like a red-hot curtain. The soldiers dropped their battering ram and scattered, leaving Frollo, who dodged the hot lead, alone in his rage.
Frollo pried the cathedral door open with his sword. Inside, up in his bell tower room, Quasimodo was trying to wake Esmeralda, but she continued to lie motionless. For a moment, Frollo stood in the doorway, watching the young man weep over Esmeralda's limp body. Then Frollo raised his dagger...but just in time, Quasimodo saw Frollo's shadow on the wall! He turned and knocked his attacker to the floor. At last Quasimodo realized that, for all of Frollo's talk of how dark and cruel the world was, it was really only Frollo himself who was dark and cruel!
Just then Esmeralda called out softly to Quasimodo. He ran to her side, picked her up, and fled to the balcony. Sword drawn, Frollo pursued them, but Quasimodo was able to carry Esmeralda to safety. Then he faced Frollo. In the ensuing struggle, both Quasimodo and Frollo fell from the balcony. Esmeralda grabbed Quasimodo's hand, while Frollo was able, at the last moment, to climb onto a down spout.Now, with both Esmeralda and Quasimodo at his mercy, Frollo raised his sword. But before he could deliver his blow, the gargoyle beneath him cracked, and Frollo plummeted to the square below. Frollo had been vanquished, but Esmeralda lost her grip on Quasimodo's hand, and he, too, began to fall. Quickly, Phoebus leaned out from below and caught Quasimodo. All three of them were safe at last!
Morning found the people of Paris working to remove all traces of Frollo's rampage. Suddenly, the cathedral doors opened, and Esmeralda and Phoebus walked out, hand in hand. A moment later, at Esmeralda's beckoning, Quasimodo emerged into the sunlight. The curious crowd surrounded him, no one quite knowing what to say or do. Then a little girl walked up to Quasimodo and gently touched his face.
As the gargoyles watched from above, the jubilant crowd carried Quasimodo through the square. All of them were cheering the new hero of all Paris: Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame! The End.

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