<Li> Quasimodo, is the male protagonist of the novel . He is the bell - ringer of Notre Dame and a barely verbal and half - blind hunchback . Ringing the church bells has also made him deaf . Abandoned by his mother as a baby, he was adopted by Claude Frollo . Quasimodo's life within the confines of the cathedral and his only two outlets--ringing the bells and his love and devotion for Frollo--are described . He rarely ventures outside the Cathedral because the citizens of Paris despise and shun him for his appearance . The notable occasions when he does leave include taking part in the Festival of Fools--during which he is elected the Pope of Fools due to his perfect hideousness--and his subsequent attempt to kidnap Esmeralda, his rescue of Esmeralda from the gallows, his attempt to bring Phoebus to Esmeralda, and his final abandonment of the cathedral at the end of the novel . It is revealed in the story that the baby Quasimodo was left by the Gypsies in place of Esmeralda, whom they abducted . </Li> <Li> Esmeralda (born Agnes) is a beautiful 16 - year - old Gypsy street dancer who is naturally compassionate and kind . She is the novel's female protagonist . A popular focus of the citizens' attentions, she experiences their changeable attitudes, being first adored as an entertainer, then hated as a witch, before being lauded again by Quasimodo . She is loved by both Quasimodo and Claude Frollo, but, unfortunately she falls hopelessly in love with Captain Phoebus, a handsome soldier who she believes will rightly protect her but who simply wants to seduce her . She is one of the few characters to show Quasimodo a moment of human kindness, as when she gives him water after the hunchback's flogging . She is eventually revealed to not actually be a gypsy, but to have been kidnapped by them and replaced by the deformed Quasimodo . </Li> <Li> Claude Frollo, the novel's main antagonist, is the Archdeacon of Notre Dame . His dour attitude and his alchemical experiments have alienated him from the Parisians, who believe him a sorcerer . His parents having died of plague when he was a young man, he is without family save for Quasimodo, for whom he cares, and his dissolute younger brother Jehan, whom he unsuccessfully attempts to reform towards a better life . Frollo's numerous sins include lechery, failed alchemy and other listed vices . His mad attraction to Esmeralda sets off a chain of events, including her attempted abduction, leading to Quasimodo's sentence to be lashed in the square, and Frollo almost murdering Phoebus in a jealous rage, leading to Esmeralda's execution . </Li> <Li> Pierre Gringoire is a struggling poet . He mistakenly finds his way into the "Court of Miracles", the domain of the Truands . In order to preserve the secrecy, Gringoire must either be killed by hanging, or marry a Gypsy . Although Esmeralda does not love him, and in fact believes him to be a coward rather than a true man, she takes pity on his plight and marries him . But, because she is already in love with Phoebus, much to his disappointment, she will not let him touch her . </Li>

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