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| “ | Archdeacon: STOP!!! Clopin: Cried the Archdeacon! |
„ |
| ~ Clopin introducing the Archdeacon. |
| “ | Minister Frollo learned years ago to respect the sanctity of the church. | „ |
| ~ The Archdeacon |
The Archdeacon is the overarching protagonist of the Disney's 1996 film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He is the father figure of Esmeralda and arch-rival of Claude Frollo.
He is voiced by the late David Ogden Stiers, who played Cogsworth and Jumba Jookiba.
Role in the film[]
He first appears near the end of the movie's prologue, condemning Frollo for his cold-blooded murder of an innocent gypsy woman on the steps of Notre Dame Cathedral, as well as his attempting to murder the woman's deformed baby son. Though Frollo refuses to accept responsibility for his crimes, the Archdeacon points out that if he doesn't repent, God will punish him (which foreshadows at the end of the film). Considering this for a brief moment, Frollo agrees to listen to the Archdeacon, who tells him to care for the baby he was about to murder and raise him as if he were his own son, which Frollo reluctantly accepts. The Archdeacon leaves to give the woman a proper burial. Frollo names the baby Quasimodo.
The Archdeacon appears twenty years later defending Esmeralda from Frollo's wrath when she seeks sanctuary in the cathedral. Esmeralda expresses disgust with Frollo and also the callousness of the crowd that was tormenting a now adult Quasimodo at the Festival of Fools earlier. The Archdeacon points out that Esmeralda can't right all of the wrongs in the world by herself, but nevertheless urges her to seek inspiration from God.
The Archdeacon appears briefly singing a hymn, before Frollo sings "Hellfire". He later appears coming out of Notre Dame to protest against Frollo's execution of Esmeralda, only to be stopped by Frollo's soldiers.
The Archdeacon's final scene is in the climax, where he attempts to dissuade a now completely unhinged Frollo from assaulting Notre Dame, only for his pleas to fall on deaf ears as Frollo pushes him down the stairs and locks the door behind him to stop the Archdeacon from interfering with his goal to kill Quasimodo. However Frollo falls to his death into the molten lead below, when the gargoyle which he was standing on while trying to kill Quasimodo and Esmeralda breaks off completely, not long it comes to life and furiously roars thunderously at him thus foreshadowing the Archdeacon's words about God will punish him as it finally had enough of Frollo and his wicked crimes.
The Archdeacon smiling in victory last appears briefly when Esmeralda and Phoebus emerge from the cathedral after Frollo's death.
Differences from the novel[]
In the original book, Claude Frollo was a troubled archdeacon. In this version, Frollo was converted into a completely evil judge and the archdeacon takes all of his good qualities. This was likely done to avoid controversy.
Appearance[]
In the prologue, The Archdeacon has dark grey hair and black eyebrows. He wears white, grey and red clothing, a red hooded robe, brown sandals, a gold ring and wears a gold necklace with a Christian cross-shaped charm on it.
After the 20 year time skip, The Archdeacon now has white hair and eyebrows. He wears the same white, grey and red clothing, sandals and his necklace, but now wears a red skullcap.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- After Quasimodo had saved Esmeralda from burning at the stake, it can almost definitely be assumed that the Archdeacon most likely went up there straight away, off-screen, and privately kept an eye over Esmeralda as she lay down while Quasimodo was preparing to defend the cathedral from the upcoming attack, only considering on how he is seen confronting Frollo while coming down the stairs as Frollo breaks in.
- In the film's 2002 sequel The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, a different Archdeacon is seen briefly exclaiming the theft of La Fidele, one of Notre Dame's bells. Unlike the first film's Archdeacon, this one has a thinner build. This could mean that at some point in between the two films, the first Archdeacon either died or retired and was replaced by the second one. Though it could also potentially mean, however, that at some point between the two films, the Archdeacon himself had both, lost weight and given himself a new hair dew as well as trimmed his eyebrows, only considering how the one in the sequel appears to have the same eye shape, the same nose (only narrower), the same ears, and the same chin (only thinner), but with the sideburns gone and the eyebrows not appearing as bushy. Although that latter part could potentially be only because it was hard for the artist to draw them that way from such a distance. Furthermore, the archdeacon in the sequel is voiced by Jim Cummings in place of David Ogden Stiers (who was still alive when the sequel itself came out), although Laverne's voice actress in the sequel is Jane Withers in place of Mary Wickes (who died during the production of the first film). Henceforth they could potentially actually be the same person.
- Although the Archdeacon was the one who originally saved Quasi's life, the two are never seen together onscreen. Though it is possible they may have interacted offscreen.
- After Esmeralda sing "God Help the Outcasts", with Quasimodo getting scolded by a green robed parishioner for coming in the cathedral's nave mistakenly thinking that he was going to causing trouble in the cathedral's nave which he retreats back to the bell tower with Esmeralda and Djali now both hostile to the green robed parishioner following him, The Archdeacon most likely reprimanded the green robed parishioner and ordering him to leave the cathedral immediately for scolding and scaring Quasimodo away as he was tortured back at the festival.
External Links[]
- Archdeacon on the Disney Wiki
- Archdeacon on the Near Pure Good Wiki