Claude Frollo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Claude Frollo
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame character
Claude Frollo holding infant Quasimodo on the steps of Notre Dame in 1480. Art by Luc-Olivier Merson.
Created by	Victor Hugo
Information
Occupation	Archdeacon of Notre Dame cathedral
Affiliation	Members of the church
Title	Dom Archdeacon Monseigneur
Family	Jehan Frollo (younger brother)
Children	Quasimodo (adopted son)
Religion	Catholic
Nationality	French

Claude Frollo is an important character from Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. In the book, he is the main antagonist, meaning he is the bad guy. He is known for being very smart and interested in subjects like alchemy.

Claude Frollo in the Novel

In the story, Claude Frollo is a very religious and smart man. He became an orphan along with his younger brother, Jehan. Their parents died from a terrible illness called the plague. Because of his studies, he became an Archdeacon at Notre Dame cathedral. An Archdeacon is a high-ranking church official.

One day, during a special holiday, he found a baby who had been left alone at the cathedral. The baby was a hunchback and looked different. Frollo decided to adopt the boy and named him "Quasimodo" after the holiday. He raised Quasimodo like his own son. Quasimodo became deaf because of the loud church bells, so Frollo taught him a type of sign language.

Frollo was a respected scholar. He studied many different languages, law, medicine, science, and religious topics. However, he became very interested in alchemy, which was an old science that tried to turn metals into gold. Because of this, some people in the town started to think he was a sorcerer or a magician. He also strongly believed that everything was decided by fate. All these things, along with his strong fear of women, made him feel very alone and separated from others.

Claude Frollo in Movies and Shows

Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame has been made into many movies and TV shows. In some of the older films, like the 1923 movie, Claude Frollo was not shown as the villain. This was because of rules at the time that did not allow members of the Roman Catholic Church to be shown in a bad way. So, in these movies, Claude Frollo was often a good person, and his younger brother, Jehan, became the villain instead.

For example, in the 1939 film, Claude Frollo was shown as the Archbishop of Paris, a very important church leader. Jehan was the bad guy in that version.

In Disney's 1996 animated film, Claude Frollo is the main villain again, just like in the book. But in this version, he is Paris's judge or Minister of Justice, not a church leader. The Archdeacon of Notre Dame is a different character entirely, and Jehan is not in the story.

Many actors have played Claude Frollo in different versions of the story:

See also

In Spanish: Claude Frollo para niños