Hugo's Cathedral of Notre Dame heroes. “Analysis of Hugo’s novel “Notre-Dame de Paris”

The idea for the novel “Notre Dame de Paris” arose from Hugo in the early 20s and was finally formed by mid-1828. The prerequisites for the creation of an epoch-making work were the natural cultural processes that took place in the first third of the 19th century in France: popularity in literature historical topics, the writers’ appeal to the romantic atmosphere of the Middle Ages and the public struggle for the protection of ancient architectural monuments, in which Hugo took a direct part. That is why we can say that one of the main characters of the novel, along with the gypsy Esmeralda, the bell ringer Quasimodo, the archdeacon Claude Frollo, the captain of the royal riflemen Phoebus de Chateaupert and the poet Pierre Gringoire, is Notre Dame Cathedral itself - the main scene and an invisible witness to the key events of the work.

In working on the book, Victor Hugo relied on the literary experience of Walter Scott, a recognized master of historical novels. At the same time, the French classic already understood that society needed something more vibrant than his English colleague, operating with typical characters and historical events, could offer. According to Victor Hugo, it should have been “...at the same time a novel, a drama and an epic, of course, picturesque, but at the same time poetic, real, but at the same time ideal, truthful, but at the same time at the same time majestic" (magazine "French Muse", 1823).

“Notre Dame de Paris” became exactly the novel the French writer dreamed of. He combined the features of a historical epic, a romantic drama and a psychological novel, telling the reader the incredible private lives of different people, taking place against the backdrop of specific historical events of the 15th century.

Chronotope novel, organized around Notre Dame Cathedral - a unique architectural monument that combines the features of Romanesque and Gothic architecture - includes Parisian streets, squares and districts running from it in all directions (Cathedral and Grève Square, Cité, University, City, " Courtyard of Miracles”, etc.). Paris in the novel becomes a natural continuation of the Cathedral, towering over the city and protecting its spiritual and social life.

Notre Dame Cathedral, like most ancient architectural monuments, according to Hugo, is the Word embodied in stone - the only restraining force for the rude, uneducated Parisian people. The spiritual authority of the Catholic church is so great that it easily turns into a refuge for Esmeralda, accused of witchcraft. The inviolability of the temple of the Mother of God is violated by the royal archers only on the orders of Louis XI, who asked for prayerful permission for this act from his heavenly patroness and promised to bring her a beautiful silver statue as a gift. The French king has nothing to do with Esmeralda: he is only interested in the revolt of the Parisian mob, who, in the opinion of Louis XI, decided to kidnap the witch from the Cathedral in order to put her to death. The fact that people are striving to free their sister and get rich at the expense of church riches does not occur to either the king or his entourage, which is an excellent illustration of the political isolation of the authorities from the people and lack of understanding of their needs.

The main characters of the novel are closely connected with each other not only by the central love theme, but also by his affiliation with Notre Dame Cathedral: Claude Frollo is the archdeacon of the temple, Quasimodo is a bell ringer, Pierre Gringoire is a student of Claude Frollo, Esmeralda is a dancer performing on Cathedral Square, Phoebe de Chateaupert is the groom of Fleur-de-Lys de Gondelaurier, living in a house whose windows overlook the Cathedral.

At the level of human relationships, characters intersect with each other through Esmeralda, whose artistic image is the plot-forming element for the entire novel. The beautiful gypsy in “Notre Dame Cathedral” attracts everyone’s attention: Parisian townspeople enjoy watching her dances and tricks with the snow-white goat Djali, the local mob (thieves, prostitutes, imaginary beggars and cripples) reveres her no less than the Mother of God, the poet Pierre Gringoire and the captain of the royal riflemen Phoebus experience physical attraction to her, the priest Claude Frollo has a passionate desire, Quasimodo has love.

Esmeralda herself - a pure, naive, virgin child - gives her heart to the outwardly beautiful, but internally ugly Phoebus. The girl's love in the novel is born out of gratitude for salvation and freezes in a state of blind faith in her lover. Esmeralda is so blinded by love that she is ready to blame herself for Phoebus’s coldness, having confessed under torture to the murder of the captain.

Young handsome man Phoebe de Chateaupert- a noble man only in the company of ladies. Alone with Esmeralda - he is a deceitful seducer, in company with Jehan the Miller (Claude Frollo's younger brother) - he is a fair foul-mouthed man and a drinker. Phoebus himself is an ordinary Don Juan, brave in battle, but cowardly when it comes to his good name. The complete opposite of Phoebus in the novel is Pierre Gringoire. Despite the fact that his feelings for Esmeralda are not particularly sublime, he finds the strength to recognize the girl as a sister rather than a wife, and over time, to fall in love with her not so much as a woman, but as a person.

The unusually terrible bell ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral sees the personality in Esmeralda. Unlike other heroes, he pays attention to the girl no earlier than she shows concern for him by giving water to Quasimodo standing at the pillory. Only after getting to know the gypsy’s kind soul does the hunched freak begin to notice her physical beauty. External discrepancy between yourself and Esmeralda Quasimodo worries quite courageously: he loves the girl so much that he is ready to do everything for her - not to show himself, to bring another man, to protect her from an angry crowd.

Archdeacon Claude Frollo- the most tragic character in the novel. The psychological component of “Notre Dame de Paris” is connected with it. A well-educated, fair, God-loving priest, falling in love, turns into a real Devil. He wants to achieve Esmeralda's love at any cost. There is a constant struggle within him between good and evil. The archdeacon either begs the gypsy for love, then tries to take her by force, then saves her from death, then he himself gives her into the hands of the executioner. A passion that finds no outlet ultimately kills Claude himself.

Sections: Literature

Goals:

Educational:

1. Introduce students to the work of Victor Hugo.
2. Teach interpretation of literary text.

Educational:

1. To develop the ability to analyze an epic work.
2. Develop students' independent judgment.

Educational:

1. Develop students' coherent speech.
2. Expand your horizons.
3. Cultivate a love of art.

Equipment: board, chalk, multimedia projector.

During the classes

I. Teacher's opening speech.

Hello guys! Today we continue to study the work of V. Hugo. In this lesson we will study the novel “Notre Dame Cathedral” - a work that reflects the past through the prism of the views of a writer - a humanist of the 19th century, who sought to emphasize those features of the past that are instructive for the present. But before that, let’s review the material we studied.

II. Repetition of what has been learned.

1. What are the years of V. Hugo’s life (Appendix 1).

2. Name the stages of V. Hugo's creativity.

I. (1820-1850)

II. Years of exile (1851-1870)

III. After returning to France (1870-1885)

3. Where was V. Hugo buried? Adele Foucher

4. Name the main features of V. Hugo's work.

• The main principle for Hugo’s romantic poetics is the depiction of life in its contrasts. He believed that the determining factor in development is the struggle between good and evil, that is, the eternal struggle of the good or divine principle with the evil, demonic principle.
• The evil principle is those in power, kings, despots, tyrants, high dignitaries of the church or unrighteous state law.
• A good beginning is those who bring goodness and mercy.
• Perception of the world in many dimensions (not only in the present time, but also in the distant past).
• Striving for a truthful and multifaceted portrayal of life.
• Contrast, grotesque, and hyperbole are Hugo's main artistic techniques.

What is grotesque? Grotesque is a style, a genre of artistic imagery, based on a contrasting combination of verisimilitude and caricature, tragedy and comedy, beauty and ugliness. For example, the image of Quasimodo (ugly) and Esmeralda (beautiful.)

What is a hyperbole? Hyperbole is an exaggeration of certain properties of an object to create an artistic image. Let's look at the example of Quasimodo's image:

“ The poor baby had a wart on his left eye, his head sunk deep into his shoulders, his spine curved, his chest protruding, his legs twisted; but he seemed tenacious, and although it was difficult to understand what language he was babbling in... Quasimodo, one-eyed, hunchbacked, bow-legged, was only “almost” a man”.

III. Checking homework.(Appendix 3)

Now let’s listen to a short message on the topic: “The history of the creation of the novel”:

“The beginning of work on “Notre Dame Cathedral” dates back to 1828. Hugo's appeal to the distant past was caused by 3 factors in the cultural life of his time: the widespread use of historical themes in literature, a passion for the romantically interpreted Middle Ages, and the struggle for the protection of historical and architectural monuments.

Hugo conceived his work at the time of the heyday of the historical novel in French literature.

The idea to organize the action around Notre Dame Cathedral was entirely his; it reflected his passion for ancient architecture and his activities in defense of medieval monuments. Hugo visited the cathedral especially often in 1828 while walking through old Paris with his friends - the writer NODIER*, the sculptor DAVID D ANGE, the artist DELACROIX*.

He met the first vicar of the cathedral, Abbot EGZHE, the author of mystical works that were later recognized as heretical by the official church, and he helped him understand the architectural symbolism of the building. Without a doubt, the colorful figure of Abbot EGGE served the writer as a prototype for Claude Frollo.

The preparatory work on the novel was careful and scrupulous; none of the names of the minor characters, including Pierre Gringoire, were invented by Hugo; they were all taken from ancient sources.

In the first manuscript of 1828, Phoebus de Chateaupert is missing; the central link of the novel is the love of two persons for Esmeralda - Claude Frollo and Quasimodo. Esmeralda is accused only of witchcraft.

* Charles Nodier (1780-1844) - French writer.
* EUGENE DELACROIX (1798-1863) – French painter, distinguished by his love of nature, sense of reality “Dante and Virgil”...

IV. Work on the analysis of the epic text.

Now let's turn directly to the analysis of the novel.

In this novel, V. Hugo addresses the events of the 15th century. The 15th century in the history of France is the era of transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.

Only one historical event is indicated in the novel (the arrival of ambassadors for the marriage of the Dauphin* and Margarita Flanders in January 1482), and historical characters (King Louis XIII, Cardinal of Bourbon) are relegated to the background by numerous fictional characters.

HISTORICAL REFERENCE.

* since 1140, the title of the rulers of the county of Dauphine (old province of France, mountainous area).
* Louis XIII - King of France in 1610 - 1643. Son of Henry IV and Marie de Medici.

Explain why the novel is called “Notre Dame Cathedral”?

The novel is called this because the central image is a cathedral.

Indeed, the image of Notre Dame Cathedral, created by the people over centuries, comes to the fore.

HISTORICAL REFERENCE (Appendix 2)

Construction of the cathedral, according to plans drawn up by Bishop Maurice de Sully, began in 1163, when the first foundation stone was laid by King Louis VII and Pope Alexander III, who specially came to Paris for the ceremony. The main altar of the cathedral was consecrated in May 1182, by 1196 the temple was almost finished, work continued only on the main facade. Towers were erected in the second quarter of the 13th century. But the construction was completely completed only in 1345, during which time the original construction plans were changed several times.

In this novel, for the first time, the writer raised a serious socio-cultural problem - the preservation of architectural monuments of antiquity.

Find a fragment in the novel that talks about the author’s attitude towards the cathedral as an architectural monument of antiquity.

“Later, this wall (I don’t even remember exactly which one) was either scraped or painted over, and the inscription disappeared. This is exactly what they have been doing for two hundred years with the wonderful churches of the Middle Ages. They will be mutilated in any way - both inside and outside. The priest repaints them, the architect scrapes them; then the people come and destroy them.”

Regretfully. “This was the attitude towards the marvelous works of art of the Middle Ages almost everywhere, especially in France.”

What are the three types of damage that the author talked about? (Example from text)

“ On its ruins one can distinguish three types of more or less deep damage:

1. “Dealt by the hand of time”.

2. “...then hordes of political and religious unrest rushed at them... which tore apart the luxurious sculptural and carved decoration of the cathedrals, knocked out rosettes, tore necklaces of arabesques * and figurines, and destroyed statues.”

3. “The destruction of fashion has been completed, more and more pretentious** and ridiculous.”

* arabesque is a complex patterned ornament of geometric shapes and stylized leaves.

** pretentious - overly intricate, complicated, intricate.

Do you agree with the opinion of V. Hugo?
- Name the main characters of the novel?

Esmeralda, Quasimodo, Claude Frollo.

It is important to note that the fates of all the main characters in the novel are inextricably linked with the Council, both by the external outline of events and by the threads of internal thoughts and motivations.

Let's take a closer look at the image of Claude Frollo and his connection with the cathedral.

Who is Claude Frollo? (TEXT)

Claude Frollo is a clergyman, ascetic and learned alchemist.

What do you know about Claude's life?

“ Indeed, Claude Frollo was an extraordinary person.

By origin, he belonged to one of those families of the middle circle, which in the irreverent language of the last century were called either eminent citizens or minor nobles.

Claude Frollo from infancy was destined by his parents for the clergy. He was taught to read Latin and instilled in him the habit of lowering his eyes and speaking in a low voice.

He was by nature a sad, sedate, serious child who studied diligently and quickly absorbed knowledge.

He studied Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Claude was obsessed with a real fever to acquire and accumulate scientific wealth.

The young man believed that there was only one goal in life: science.

...Parents died of the plague. The young man took his brother (baby) in his arms... imbued with compassion, he felt passionate and devoted love for the child, for his brother. Claude was more than a brother to the child: he became his mother.

At the age of twenty, with the special permission of the papal curia, he was appointed clergyman of Notre Dame Cathedral.

... Father Claude's fame extended far beyond the cathedral.

How do people feel about him?

He was not loved either by respectable people or by the small people who lived near the cathedral.

How did Quasimodo treat him?

He loved the archdeacon as much as no dog, no elephant, no horse had ever loved their master. Quasimodo's gratitude was deep, ardent, boundless.

How did Esmeralda feel about Claude Frollo?

She is afraid of the priest. “For how many months has he been poisoning me, threatening me, scaring me! Oh my God! How happy I was without him. It was he who plunged me into this abyss...”

Do you think Claude Frollo is a dual person? If yes, please explain? How is this duality expressed? (examples from the text).

Certainly. Claude Frollo is a dual person, because on the one hand, he is a kind, loving person, he has compassion for people (he raised his younger brother, put him on his feet, saved little Quasimodo from death, taking him into his upbringing); but on the other hand, he has a dark, evil force, cruelty (because of him Esmeralda was hanged). TEXT: “Suddenly, in the most terrible moment, satanic laughter, laughter in which there was nothing human, distorted the deathly pale face of the priest.”

Now let's trace Claude Frollo's connection with the cathedral.

Remember how Claude feels about the cathedral?

Claude Frollo loved the cathedral. “I loved the inner meaning of the cathedral, the meaning hidden in it, I loved its symbolism hidden behind the sculptural decorations of the facade.” In addition, the cathedral was the place where Claude worked, practiced alchemy, and simply lived.

What events in the life of Claude Frollo are connected with the cathedral?

Firstly, it was at the cathedral, in a manger for foundlings, that he found Quasimodo and took the foundling to himself.
Secondly, “from his galleries the archdeacon watched Esmeralda dancing in the square” and it was here that he “begged Esmeralda to take pity on him and give him love.”

Let us consider in detail the image of Quasimodo and his connection with the cathedral.

Tell us about the fate of Quasimodo?

From childhood, Quasimodo was deprived of parental love. He was raised by Claude Frollo. The priest taught him to speak, read, and write. Then, when Quasimodo grew up, Claude Frollo made him a bell ringer in the cathedral. Due to the strong ringing, Quasimodo lost his hearing.

How do people feel about Quasimodo?
- Is everything the same? (find a fragment from the text)

• ABOUT! Nasty monkey!
• As evil as she is ugly!
• The devil in the flesh.
• Oh, vile mug!
• O vile soul.
• A disgusting monster.

Why are people so cruel to Quasimodo?

Because he's not like them.

Do you think Quasimodo is a dual character or not?
- How is this expressed?

Certainly. On the one hand, Quasimodo is evil, cruel, bestial, his very appearance instills fear and horror in people, he does all sorts of nasty things to people, but on the other hand, he is kind, he has a vulnerable, gentle soul and everything he does is just a reaction to that evil , which people do to him (Quasimodo saves Esmeralda, hides her, takes care of her).

Do you remember the events in the life of the hunchback that are associated with the cathedral?

Firstly, in the cathedral the hunchback hid Esmeralda from people who wanted to kill her.
Secondly, here he killed the brother of the priest Jehan and Claude Frollo himself.

What does the cathedral mean to Quasimodo?

“A refuge, friend, protects him from the cold, from man and his malice and cruelty... The cathedral served for him as an egg, a nest, a home, a homeland, and finally, the Universe.” “The cathedral replaced not only people for him, but also the entire universe, all of nature.”

Why does Quasimodo love the cathedral?

He loves it for its beauty, for its harmony, for the harmony that the building exuded, for the fact that Quasimodo felt free here. My favorite place was the bell tower. It was the bells that made him happy. “He loved them, caressed them, spoke to them, understood them, was gentle with everyone, from the smallest bells to the largest bell.”

Does the attitude of the people affect the character of Quasimodo?

Undoubtedly it has an impact. “His malice was not innate. From his very first steps among people, he felt and then clearly realized himself as a being rejected, spat upon, branded. Growing up, he encountered only hatred around him and became infected with it. Pursued by general anger, he himself picked up the weapon with which he was wounded.”

What role does Claude Frollo play in the life of the hunchback?

Claude picked him up, adopted him, fed him, raised him. As a child, Quasimodo was accustomed to take refuge at the feet of C. Frollo when he was being pursued.

What does Quasimodo mean to Claude?

The archdeacon had in him the most obedient slave. The most efficient servant.

Another main character in the novel is Esmeralda

Who is she?

Gypsy.

Find a description of Esmeralda in the text.
- What can you say about her?

“In the spacious, free space between the fire and the crowd, a young girl danced.

Was this young girl a human being, a fairy or an angel...

She was short in stature, but seemed tall - that was how slender her figure was. She was dark-skinned, but it was not difficult to guess that her skin had that wonderful golden hue that is characteristic of Andalusian and Roman women. The little foot was also the foot of an Andalusian woman - she walked so lightly in her graceful shoe. The girl danced, fluttered, twirled on an old Persian carpet carelessly thrown at her feet, and every time her radiant face appeared in front of you, the gaze of her large black eyes blinded you like lightning...

Thin, fragile, with bare shoulders and slender legs occasionally glimpsed from under her skirt, black-haired, quick as a wasp, in a golden bodice that tightly fitted her waist, in a colorful billowing dress, shining with her eyes, she truly seemed like an unearthly creature...”

Esmeralda is a very beautiful girl, cheerful and bright.

How do people feel about Esmeralda?

a) People (Argotines)?

The Argotinians and Argotine women quietly stood aside, making way for her, their brutal faces seemed to brighten at her mere glance.

b) Pierre Gringoire?

“Lovely woman!” “...I was fascinated by the dazzling vision.” “Really,” thought Gringoire, “this is a salamander, this is a nymph, this is a goddess.”

c) Claude Frollo?

“The only creature that did not arouse hatred in him.” “...To love her with all the fury, to feel that for the shadow of her smile you would give your blood, your soul, your good name, your earthly and afterlife for this...” "I love you! Your face is more beautiful than God’s face!..”

“I love you and have never loved anyone but you. The captain had repeated this phrase so many times under similar circumstances that he blurted it out in one breath, without forgetting a single word.”

So, the main characters of the novel are Esmeralda, Quasimodo, C. Frollo. They are the embodiment of one or another human quality.

Think about what qualities Esmeralda is endowed with?

Hugo endows his heroine with all the best qualities inherent in representatives of the people: beauty, tenderness.

Esmeralda is the moral beauty of the common man. She has simplicity, naivety, incorruptibility, and loyalty.

Indeed, but, alas, in a cruel time, among cruel people, all these qualities were rather shortcomings: kindness, naivety, simplicity do not help to survive in the world of anger and self-interest, so she dies.

What about Quasimodo?

Quasimodo is Hugo's humanistic idea: ugly in appearance, rejected by his social status, the cathedral bell ringer turns out to be a highly moral person.

What are the qualities that Quasimodo has?

Kindness, devotion, the ability to love strongly, selflessly.

Remember Phoebus de Chateaupere. What qualities does he have?

Phoebus is selfish, heartless, frivolous, cruel.

He is a bright representative of secular society.
- What qualities does Claude Frollo have?

Claude Frollo is kind and merciful at the beginning, but at the end he is a concentration of dark gloomy forces.

V. Summing up.

VI. Homework.

We looked at the main characters in the novel by V. Hugo

“Notre Dame Cathedral”.

Open your diaries and write down your homework:

Write a short essay - an argument on the topic: “Why did the author end the novel this way?”

LITERATURE.

1. Hugo V. Notre-Dame de Paris: A Novel. - M., 2004.
2. Evnina E.M. V.Hugo. – M., 1976.
3. Notes on foreign literature: Materials for the exam / Comp. L.B. Ginzburg, A.Ya. Reznik. - M., 2002.

The novel “The Gathering of Notre Dame of Paris” is one of the most famous works of the French classic Victor Hugo. Published in 1831, it remains relevant to this day. Its central characters - the hunchback Quasimodo, the gypsy Esmeralda, the priest Claude Frollo, captain Phoebus de Chateaupert - have become real myths and continue to be replicated in modern culture.

The idea of ​​writing a historical novel about the Middle Ages arose from Victor Hugo around 1823, when Walter Scott's book Quentin Durward was published. Unlike Scott, who was a master of historical realism, Hugo planned to create something more poetic, ideal, truthful, majestic, something that would “put Walter Scott in the frame of Homer.”

Concentrating the action around the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was Hugo’s own idea. In the 20s of the 19th century, he showed particular interest in architectural monuments, repeatedly visited the Cathedral, studied its history and layout. There he also met the abbot Abbot Egge, who partly became the prototype of Claude Frollo.

The history of the novel
Due to Hugo's busyness in the theater, writing the novel progressed rather slowly. However, when, under pain of a substantial penalty, the publisher told Hugo to finish the novel before February 1, 1831, the prose writer sat down to work. The writer's wife, Adele Hugo, recalls that he bought himself a bottle of ink, a huge sweatshirt that reached to his toes, in which he literally drowned, locked his dress so as not to succumb to the temptation to go out, and entered his novel as if into a prison.

Having completed the work on time, Hugo, as always, did not want to part with his favorite characters. He was determined to write sequels - the novels “Kicangron” (the popular name for the tower of an ancient French castle) and “The Son of the Hunchback.” However, due to work on theatrical productions, Hugo was forced to postpone his plans. The world never saw "Kikangroni" and "The Son of the Hunchback", but it still had the brightest pearl - the novel "Notre Dame Cathedral".

The author thought hard about the deep meaning of this message from the past: “Whose suffering soul did not want to leave this world without leaving behind the ancient church this stigma of crime or misfortune”?

Over time, the cathedral wall was restored, and the word disappeared from its face. So everything falls into oblivion over time. But there is something eternal - this word. And it gave birth to a book.

The story that unfolded at the walls of Notre Dame Cathedral began on January 6, 1482. The Palace of Justice hosts a magnificent celebration of Epiphany. They are performing the mystery play “The Righteous Judgment of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” composed by the poet Pierre Gringoire. The author is worried about the fate of his literary brainchild, but today the Parisian public is clearly not in the mood for a reunion with beauty.

The crowd is endlessly distracted: either it is occupied by the mischievous jokes of raging schoolchildren, or by exotic ambassadors who have arrived in the city, or by the election of a funny king, or a clownish pope. According to tradition, this is the one who makes the most incredible grimace. The undisputed leader in this competition is Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame. His face is forever shackled with an ugly mask, so that not a single local jester can compete with him.

Many years ago, an ugly package of Quasimodo was thrown at the threshold of the Cathedral. He was raised and educated by the church rector Claude Frollo. In his early youth, Quasimodo was assigned to be a bell-ringer. The roar of the bells caused the boy's eardrums to burst and he became deaf.

For the first time, the author paints Quasimode’s face through the opening of a stone rosette, where each participant in the comic competition had to stick his face. Quasimodo had a disgusting tetrahedral nose, a horseshoe-shaped mouth, a tiny left eye covered by a red eyebrow, and an ugly wart hanging over his right eye, his teeth were crooked and looked like the battlements of a fortress wall that hung over a cracked lip and a cleft chin. In addition, Quasimodo was lame and hunchbacked, his body bent in an incredible arc. “Look at him - he’s a hunchback. If he walks, you see that he is lame. He will look at you - crooked. If you talk to him, you’re deaf,” jokes local ringleader Copenol.

This is how the clownish pope of 1482 turns out. Quasimodo is dressed in a tiara, a mantle, handed a staff and raised on an improvised throne in his arms to carry out a solemn procession through the streets of Paris.

Beauty Esmeralda

When the election of the buffoonish pope comes to an end, the poet Gringoire sincerely hopes for the rehabilitation of his mystery, but that was not the case - Esmeralda begins her dance on Greve Square!

The girl was short in stature, but seemed tall - that was how slender her figure was. Her dark skin shone gold in the light of the sun's rays. The street dancer's tiny foot walked easily in her graceful shoe. The girl fluttered in a dance on a Persian carpet, carelessly thrown at her feet. And every time her radiant face appeared before the spellbound spectator, the gaze of her large black eyes blinded like lightning.

However, the dance of Esmeralda and her learned goat Djali is interrupted by the appearance of the priest Claude Frollo. He tears off the “royal” robe from his pupil Quasimodo and accuses Esmeralda of charlatanism. Thus ends the celebration on Place de Greve. The people little by little disperse, and the poet Pierre Gringoire goes home... Oh, yes - he has no home and no money! So the would-be scribbler has no choice but to just go wherever his eyes lead.

Searching the streets of Paris for the night, Gringoire comes to the Court of Miracles - a gathering place for beggars, vagabonds, street performers, drunkards, thieves, bandits, thugs and other wicked people. The local inhabitants refuse to welcome the midnight guest with open arms. He is asked to undergo a test - to steal a wallet from a scarecrow covered with bells, and to do it in such a way that none of the bells make a sound.

The writer Gringoire fails the test with a bang and dooms himself to death. There is only one way to avoid execution - to immediately marry one of the residents of the Court. However, everyone refuses to marry the poet. Everyone except Esmeralda. The girl agrees to become Gringoire's fictitious wife on the condition that this marriage does not last longer than four years and does not impose marital obligations on her. When the new hubby makes desperate attempts to seduce his pretty wife, she bravely pulls a sharp dagger from her belt - the girl is ready to defend her honor with blood!

Esmeralda protects her innocence for several reasons. Firstly, she firmly believes that an amulet in the form of a tiny bootie, which will point her to her true parents, helps only virgins. And secondly, the gypsy is recklessly in love with Captain Phoebus de Chateaupert. Only to him is she ready to give her heart and honor.

Esmeralda met Phoebus on the eve of her impromptu marriage. Returning after a performance to the Court of Miracles, the girl was captured by two men and saved by the handsome police captain Phoebus de Chateaupert, who arrived in time. Looking at the savior, she fell desperately and forever in love.

Only one criminal was caught - he turned out to be the hunchback of Notre Dame, Quasimodo. The kidnapper was sentenced to a public beating in the pillory. When the hunchback was exhausted from thirst, no one gave him a helping hand. The crowd roared with laughter, because what could be more fun than beating up a freak! His secret accomplice, priest Claude Frollo, also remained silent. It was he, bewitched by Esmeralda, who ordered Quasimodo to kidnap the girl, it was his unshakable authority that forced the unfortunate hunchback to remain silent and endure all the torture and humiliation alone.

Quasimodo was saved from thirst by Esmeralda. The victim brought a jug of water to her captor, the beauty helped the monster. Quasimodo's embittered heart melted, a tear slid down his cheek, and he fell in love with this beautiful creature forever.

A month has passed since the events and fateful meetings. Esmeralda is still passionately in love with Captain Phoebus de Chateaupert. But he had long since cooled off towards the beauty and resumed his relationship with his blond fiancée Fleur-de-Lys. However, the flighty handsome man still does not refuse a night date with a beautiful gypsy. During a meeting, the couple is attacked by someone. Before losing consciousness, Esmeralda only manages to see the dagger raised above Phoebus's chest.

The girl came to her senses already in the prison dungeon. She is accused of attempted murder of a police captain, prostitution and witchcraft. Under torture, Esmeralda confesses to all the atrocities she allegedly committed. The court sentences her to death by hanging. At the last moment, when the doomed woman has already ascended the scaffold, she is literally snatched from the hands of the executioner by the hunchback Quasimodo. With Esmeralda in his arms, he rushes to the gates of Notre Dame, shouting "refuge"!

The girl, alas, cannot live in captivity: she is frightened by a terrible savior, she is tormented by thoughts of her lover, but most importantly, her main enemy is nearby - the rector of the Cathedral, Claude Frollo. He is passionately in love with Esmeralda and is ready to exchange faith in God and his own soul for her love. Frollo invites Esmeralda to become his wife and run away with him. Having been refused, he, despite the right to a “sacred refuge,” kidnaps Esmeralda and sends her to a lonely tower (Rat Hole) under the protection of the local recluse Gudula.

Half-crazy Gudula hates gypsies and all their brood. A little less than sixteen years ago, the gypsies stole her only child, her beautiful daughter Agnes. Gudula, then called Paquetta, went crazy with grief and became the eternal recluse of the Rat Hole. In memory of her beloved daughter, she only had a tiny newborn bootie. Imagine Gudula’s surprise when Esmeralda took out a second bootie of the same kind. The mother has finally found her stolen child! But the executioners, led by Claude Frollo, approach the walls of the tower to pick up Esmeralda and take her to her death. Gudula protects her child until her last breath, dying in an unequal duel.

You've probably heard about Victor Hugo's novel ““, based on which more than ten film adaptations have been made, and the plot of which draws you in from the very first page.

A talented work touches on the problem of human cruelty and heartlessness, which can destroy human lives and the happiness of others.

This time Esmeralda is executed. Quasimodo fails to save his beloved. But he takes revenge on her killer - the hunchback throws Claude Frollo from the tower. Quasimode himself lies down in the tomb next to Esmeralda. They say he died of grief near the body of his beloved. Many decades later, two skeletons were found in the tomb. One, hunched over, hugged the other. When they were separated, the hunchback's skeleton crumbled to dust.

Victor Hugo's novel “Notre-Dame de Paris”: summary

V. Hugo is the largest French romantic, the head of the French. romanticism, its theoretician. He played an outstanding role in the creation of the romantic novel, in the reform of French poetry, and in the creation of the romantic theater. The first poems, written by Hugo in 1812-19, were created according to the rules of classicism, turning to the genre of a solemn ode, where he glorifies the royal dynasty. Under the influence of Lamartine and Chateaubriand, the poet moves to the position of romanticism. Throughout his life, Hugo turned to the theoretical justification of romanticism.

In the novel “St. Petersburg” (1831), Hugo refers to the 15th century. The choice of era itself is important for revealing the main idea. 15th century in France - the era of transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. But conveying the living image of this dynamic era with the help of historical coloring, Hugo is also looking for something eternal, in which all eras are united. Thus, the image of Notre Dame Cathedral, created by the people over centuries, comes to the fore. The popular principle will determine the attitude towards each of the characters in the novel.

In the character system, three heroes occupy the main place. Gypsy Esmeralda brings pleasure to the crowd with her art and her entire appearance. Piety is alien to her, she does not give up earthly joys. This image most clearly reflects the revival of interest in man, which will become the main feature of worldview in the new era. Esmeralda is inextricably linked with the masses of the people. Hugo uses romantic contrast, highlighting the beauty of the girl with the image of the lower classes of society, in whose depiction the grotesque is used.

The opposite beginning in the novel is the image of the cathedral archdeacon Claude Frollo. It also expresses one of the sides of the Renaissance man - individualism. But first of all, he is a medieval man, an ascetic who despises all the joys of life. Claude Frollo would like to suppress all earthly feelings, which he considers shameful, and devote himself entirely to studying the full body of human knowledge.

But, despite his denial of human feelings, he himself fell in love with Esmeralda. This love is destructive. Unable to defeat her, Claude Frollo takes the path of crime, dooming Esmeralda to torture and death.

Retribution comes to the archdeacon from his servant, the cathedral bell ringer Quasimodo. In creating this image, Hugo makes especially extensive use of the grotesque. Quasimodo is an extraordinary freak. It looks like chimeras - fantastic animals whose images adorn the cathedral. Quasimodo is the soul of the cathedral, this creation of popular fantasy. The freak also fell in love with the beautiful Esmeralda, but not for her beauty, but for her kindness. And his soul, awakening from the sleep into which Claude Frollo plunged it, turns out to be beautiful. A beast in appearance, Quasimodo is an angel in his soul. The ending of the novel, from which it is clear that Quasimodo entered the dungeon where the body of the hanged Esmeralda was thrown, and died there, hugging her.

Hugo makes an attempt to show the dependence of a person’s inner world on the circumstances of his life (obviously under the influence of realism). Quasimodo, unwillingly, contributes to the death of Esmeralda. He protects her from the crowd, which does not want to destroy her, but to free her. Coming from the bottom of society, merging his soul with the cathedral, which embodies the people's beginning, Quasimodo was cut off from the people for a long time, serving the man-hater Claude Frollo. And so, when the spontaneous movement of the people reaches the walls of the cathedral, Quasimodo is no longer able to understand the intentions of the crowd, and fights with it alone.

Hugo develops a type of romantic historical novel that is different from the novels of Walter Scott. He does not strive for detailed accuracy; historical figures (King Louis 11, the poet Gringoire, etc.) do not occupy a central place in the novel. Hugo's main goal as the creator of a historical novel is to convey the spirit of history, its atmosphere. But it is even more important for the writer to point out the ahistorical properties of people, the eternal struggle between good and evil.

The main theme of the novel “Notre Dame de Paris” is the theme of the people and popular rebellion. We see the Paris of the poor, the destitute, the humiliated. The novel colorfully depicts the peculiar customs, traditions, and life of the French Middle Ages, and reveals the historical specifics of the era. One of the main images and symbols of the novel is the majestic cathedral, which bears the name of the Mother of God. It was built from the 12th to the 15th centuries, as a result of which it combined different architectural styles - Romanesque, the style of the early Middle Ages and later - medieval Gothic.

The cathedral, which according to Christian dogma is a model of the world, acts as an arena of earthly passions. Inseparable from him are Quasimodo, who with the sounds of his bells “poured life into this immense structure,” and the gloomy abbot Claude Frollo.

Quasimodo is the artistic embodiment of the theory of the romantic grotesque, which Hugo outlined in the preface to his “Cromwell.” This is one of the writer’s characteristic images, which personifies the theme of deprivation, “guilty without guilt.” For Hugo, the grotesque is a “measure for comparison,” a means of contrasting the internal and external. We see the first in the contrast between the beauty of Esmeralda and the ugliness of Quasimodo, the second in the contrast between the spiritual beauty of Quasimodo and the inner darkness of Claude Frollo.

If Quasimodo frightens with his ugliness, then Frollo evokes fear with those secret passions that incinerate his soul: “Why did his wide forehead become bald, why is his head always lowered? What secret thought twisted his mouth into a bitter smile while his eyebrows met like two bulls ready to fight? What kind of mysterious flame flashed at times in his gaze? - this is how Hugo portrays his hero.

Claude Frollo is a real romantic criminal, gripped by an all-conquering, irresistible passion, capable only of hatred and destruction, which lead to the death of not only the innocent beauty Esmeralda, but also himself.

Why is the Catholic clergyman the bearer and embodiment of evil in Hugo? This is due to certain historical realities. After 1830, a sharp reaction against the Catholic Church, the main support of the old regime, appeared in the advanced layers of French society. Finishing his book in 1831, Hugo saw how an angry crowd destroyed the monastery of Saint-Germain-L'Auxerrois and the archbishop's palace in Paris, how peasants knocked down crosses from the chapel along the main roads. However, Claude Frollo is not only a historically conventional image. Perhaps it was also inspired by the enormous shifts that took place in the worldview of Hugo’s contemporaries.

Quasimodo's unknown origins, physical deformity and deafness separated him from people. “Every word addressed to him was a mockery or a curse.” And Quasimodo absorbed human hatred and became angry and wild. But behind his ugly appearance hid a good, sensitive heart. The author shows that the unfortunate hunchback is capable of deep and tender love.

To love Esmeralda, to deify her, to protect her from evil, to protect her without sparing his own life - all this suddenly became the purpose of his existence.

Claude Frollo is also a kind of symbol - a symbol of liberation from the power of dogma. However, everything in life is full of contradictions. And the skeptic Frollo, having rejected church dogma, is captive of superstitions and prejudices: the girl he loves seems to him to be a messenger of the devil. Claude Frollo passionately loves Esmeralda, but gives her into the hands of the executioners. He knows Quasimodo's affection for him - and betrays this feeling. He is Judas, but not the one depicted by the passionate imagination of his admirers, but the one who has become a symbol of treason and deceit.

Next to the image of Claude Frollo is an artistically accurate image of Captain Phoebus de Chateaupert. The beautiful appearance and shine of his uniform hid the emptiness, frivolity and inner wretchedness of this young nobleman. The forces of evil that guide the actions of Claude Frollo challenged the Cathedral - a symbol of light, goodness, and Christianity. And the Council seems to be expressing its dissatisfaction, warning that the archdeacon will be punished.

In the end, it is the Cathedral that helps Quasimodo take revenge on Claude Frollo: “An abyss yawned beneath him... He twisted himself, making inhuman efforts to climb up the gutter onto the balustrade. But his hands slid along the granite, his legs, scratching the blackened wall, searched in vain for support..."

While conveying the essential features of the era, V. Hugo did not always adhere to authenticity in depicting the past. At the center of the novel he placed the image of Esmeralda, a beautiful girl raised by gypsies. He made her the embodiment of spiritual beauty and humanity. The author brought this romantic image into the 15th century setting. V. Hugo imagined that there was a constant struggle between good and evil in the world, and he created his positive images based on the abstract idea of ​​good, without accounting for how these positive characters could be formed in specific living conditions.

In his preface to Cromwell, Hugo proclaimed that Christian times gave a new understanding of man as a being that unites the principles of the physical and spiritual. The first is constrained by desires and passions, the second is free, capable of soaring into the sky on the wings of passion and dreams. So, literature must contain the contrasts of the mundane and the sublime, the ugly and the beautiful, and penetrate into the moving, fickle, contradictory essence of real life.

11. V. Hugo “Les Miserables”.

“Notre Dame Cathedral” and the dramas of the 30s reflected the revolution. the writer's mood. In these products there are more the role was played by the masses and their movement. In the novels of the 60s, the romantic character comes to the fore. personality

The plot of the novels of the 60s - “Les Miserables”, “Toilers of the Sea”, “The Man Who Laughs” - is based on the struggle of one person against some external force. In the novel “Les Misérables,” Jean Valjean, the prostitute Fantine, and street children—Cosette, Gavroche—represent the world of the “outcasts,” the world of people who are bourgeois. society throws them overboard and towards the Crimea it is especially cruel.

Jean Valjean ends up in hard labor for stealing bread for his sister's hungry children. Having come to hard labor as an honest man, he returns 19 years later as a criminal. He is in the full sense of the word an outcast; No one wants to let him spend the night, even the dog kicks him out of his kennel. He was sheltered by Bishop Miriel, who believes that his home belongs to everyone who needs it. Valjean spends the night with him and the next morning disappears from the house, taking the silver with him. Caught by the police, he is not going to deny his crime, because all the evidence is against him. But the bishop tells the police that Jean Valjean did not steal the silver, but received it as a gift from him. At the same time, the bishop says to Jean Valjean: “Today I bought your soul from evil and give it to good.” From this moment on, Valge becomes as holy as Bishop Miriel.
In this novel, Hugo, as elsewhere, remains on an idealistic point of view in assessing the world; There are, in his opinion, two justices: justice of a higher order and justice of a lower order. The latter is expressed in the law on which the life of society is built. The law punishes a person for a crime committed. The bearer of this principle of justice is Javert in the novel. But there is another justice. Its bearer turns out to be Bishop Miriel. From the point of view of Bishop Miriel, evil and crime should not be punished, but forgiven, and then the crime itself should be stopped. The law does not destroy evil, but aggravates it. So it was with Jean Valjean. While he was kept in hard labor, he remained a criminal. When Bishop Myriel forgave the crime he had committed, he remade Jean Valjean.

Gavroche is another bright hero of G.'s work. Brash and cynical, at the same time simple-minded and childishly naive, speaking in thieves' jargon, but sharing the last piece of bread with hungry homeless children, hates the rich, is not afraid of anything: not God, Image Like Jean, Gavroche is the personification of the best traits of people “outcast” by society: love for one’s neighbor, independence, courage, honesty.

So, according to Hugo, moral laws regulate the relationships of people; social laws are carried out by officials. role. Hugo does not seek to deeply reveal the laws of social life in his novel. Social Hugo's processes are in the background. He strives to prove that social itself. problem will be resolved when the moral one is resolved.

12. Poem by G. Heine "Germany. A Winter's Tale." Heine's idea of ​​the past, present and future of Germany. Artistic features of the poem.

Heine’s creative achievements were most clearly reflected in his remarkable work-poem “Germany. Winter's Tale" (1844). Upon returning from Germany in December 1844, Heine met with Marx; their constant conversations undoubtedly affected the content of the poem. It embodied all the previous experience of ideological issues. development of Heine - prose writer, publicist, political lyricist. “The Winter's Tale,” more than any other work by Heine, is the fruit of the poet's deep thoughts about the ways of development of Germany. Heine painted the image of his homeland in clear times. And spatial dimensions. The space of the poem is the territory of Germany, crossed by the poet, each new chapter is a new place, real or conditional. Here his desire to see his homeland as a single democratic state was most fully expressed. In the poem “Germany”, which, like early fiction, is a travel diary, the author paints a broadly generalizing picture of old Germany, raises the question of revolution, two possible paths for the development of their homeland. In the system of artistic means of the poem, this theme is expressed in a sharply alternative form: either the guillotine (conversation with Friedrich Barbarossa), or that terrible stinking pot that Heine saw in Hammonia’s room. The main object is watered. The satires of the poem are the pillars of political reaction in Germany: the Prussian monarchy, the nobility and the military. Approaching the border line on a cold November day, the poet excitedly hears the sounds of his native speech. This beggar girl sings in a false voice to the accompaniment of a harp an old song about renunciation of earthly goods and about heavenly bliss in heaven. In the words of the song of this poor harpist, that poor old Germany speaks, which its rulers lull with the legend of heavenly joys, so that the people do not ask for bread here on earth. The political circles against which the most acute stanzas of the poem are directed are the Junkers and the cowardly German bourgeoisie, which supported the desire of the German aristocracy for the reunification of Germany “from above”, that is, through the revival of the “German Empire”, designed to continue the traditions of the “German Holy Roman Empire” nation.” The revelation of the deep reactionary nature of this theory is given in those chapters of the poem where Heine talks about Barbarossa, “Kaiser Rothbart.” The image of the old emperor, glorified in folk tales and dear to the hearts of conservative romantics, was in the poem one of the sharpest methods of satire on supporters of the “empire”, on the advocates of “reunification from above.” From the first lines of his poem, Heine himself advocates a different path for the reunification of Germany - the revolutionary path leading to the creation of the German Republic. Time is given in 3 dimensions, constantly replacing one another. The author’s focus is on the present time, as he emphasized “modernity.” The recent past - the Napoleonic era - and antiquity, already formed into myths and legends, stand on equal terms. Heine goes from new France to old Germany. The two countries are constantly related to each other. “G” is not so much a satirical poem as a lyric poem that captures the author’s joy, anger, pain, and his “strange” love for his homeland. The present, only outlined in the scene with the girl harpist, gradually unfolds in all its ugliness through the satirical image of Aachen, which was once the capital of the empire of Charlemagne, and has now become an ordinary town. The poet has not seen his homeland for 13 years, but it seems to him that little has changed in Germany over the years, everything bears the stamp of outdated medieval laws, beliefs and customs. Heine selects those episodes from the past of Germany, which were destined to become reference points in the worldview of an ordinary German: the history of the construction of the Cologne Cathedral, the battle in the Teutoburg Forest, the conquest campaigns of Frederick Barbarossa, the recent struggle with France for the Rhine. Each of the national shrines is interpreted ironically, paradoxically, polemically. In satyr. The final lines of the poem, where the poet, together with the patroness of the city of Hamburg, the goddess Hamonia, predicts the future, the logic of the author. The thought is this: Germany, which recognizes the barbaric past as the norm, and pitiful progress in the present as good, can only expect abomination in the future. The past threatens to poison the future. Throughout the poem, the poet passionately calls to cleanse himself of the filth of the past.

Musical "Notre Dame de Paris"

What does the musical “Notre Dame de Paris” mean to you? This most popular work left few people indifferent; it has an extraordinary mesmerizing power. What is his secret? Maybe it's all about the spectacular production, the extraordinary story of love and betrayal, told by the brilliant Hugo? Or is it all about the amazing music, which intertwines French chanson and gypsy motifs? Just imagine, this work contains 50 songs dedicated to the brightest and strongest feeling - love, and almost all of them became real hits.

Read a summary of the musical “Notre Dame de Paris” and many interesting facts about this work on our page.

Summary

At the center of this sad story is the young beauty Esmeralda, who was raised by the gypsy king Clopin, who replaced her father and mother. Their camp attempts to illegally enter Paris to find refuge in the Cathedral, but the soldiers notice the uninvited guests and immediately drive them away. The handsome Phoebus da Chateaupert, who is the captain of the royal riflemen, pays attention to the young Esmeralda. Captivated by the beauty of the girl, he completely forgets about his bride Fleur-de-Lys, to whom he is engaged.

The captain is not the only one who paid attention to the young dancer. Quasimodo also has tender feelings for her, who specially comes to the festival of jesters to admire his beloved once again. His stepfather and strict mentor Frollo forbids him to even think about this girl or look at her, but does this out of strong jealousy. It turns out that the archdeacon is also in love with Esmeralda, but he does not have the right to this.

Frollo hatches an insidious plan - to kidnap the gypsy and lock her in the tower, and he tries to kidnap the girl along with Quasimodo under the cover of darkness, but the gypsy is saved in time by Phoebus. Taking advantage of the moment, the captain immediately invites the beauty on a date.

An involuntary witness to the kidnapping, as well as the brave act of the captain, is the poet Gringoire, whom the gypsy king Cloper wants to hang for violating the rules of the camp, because he visited the Court of Miracles, and this is strictly prohibited. But Esmeralda saves Gringoire and now must marry him. But the gypsy is already in love with someone else, with her savior, Phoebus de Chateaupert.

The Archdeacon watches Esmeralda and the captain closely as they go on a date, and, blinded by jealousy, attacks his rival. As a result, Frollo wounds Phoebus with a knife. But it’s Esmeralda who has to pay for this crime, because it is she who is accused of the attempt on the captain’s life. At the trial, the gypsy tries to prove that she is innocent, but Esmeralda is not listened to and is sentenced to death.

While the girl is in prison awaiting sentencing, Frollo visits her. The Archdeacon offers to save the beauty in exchange for her devotion and love, but she refuses him. Hearing this, Frollo attacks Esmeralda, but the girl is saved by Clopin and Quasimodo, who arrive in time. The whole camp came to help the captive, and a battle ensued between the gypsies and the royal soldiers. As a result of this collision, Clopin dies, and Esmeralda is arrested again, and Frollo himself hands her over to the executioner. In despair, he shares this with Quasimodo, admitting that he did all this because of the beauty’s refusal, and he angrily throws the treacherous Frollo from the tower, and he rushes to the place of execution to embrace the already dead Esmeralda for the last time.

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Interesting Facts

• A record number of applicants came to the casting held for the Russian version of the musical - about one and a half thousand, and only 45 of them were accepted into the troupe.
• About 4.5 million dollars were spent to stage the Russian version, and 15 million were collected during the entire run of the show in the Moscow theater.
• By 2016, the total number of spectators who watched the performance around the world was more than 15 million people.
• It is worth noting that the author of the famous “Notre Dame” also wrote a musical on a rather unusual Russian theme. He called this work “The Decembrists”; the libretto was developed by the poet Ilya Reznik.
• Currently, a shortened version of the musical by Alexander Marakulin is touring our country. The troupe's artists even became involved in a criminal case for copyright infringement.
• A parody of the play was staged in Nizhny Novgorod with almost identical scenery.
• The French production of the musical was not without some blunders. Thus, it was noticed that there was anarchy written on the wall, although a different word was originally intended - ananke, which means rock. Already in the new Mogadorian version of the play this word was corrected to the correct one.

Popular numbers:

Belle (listen)

Dechire (listen)

Vivre (listen)

Le temps des cathédrales (listen)

History of creation

Surprisingly, this musical became popular even before its premiere due to the fact that a disc was released with recordings of some singles (16 songs). The presented compositions created an unprecedented sensation and quickly began to win the hearts of the public. The premiere, which took place on September 16, 1998 in Paris at the Palais des Congrès, was a resounding success. The part of the main character was performed by Noah (recorded), and then Helen Segara, the role of Quasimodo went to Pierre Garan (Garou) , Phoebe - Patrick Fiori, Gringoire - Bruno Peltier, Frollo - Dariel Lavoie. The director was the Frenchman Gilles Maillot, who at that time was known to the general public for his productions. In general, the performance turned out to be a little unusual, because it differed from the established format of musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Claude-Michel Schonberg: minimalist stage design, modern ballet choreography, unusual format.

Songs from the musical immediately began to top various charts, and the most popular of them, “Belle,” became a real worldwide hit. After its success in France, the musical went on its triumphal march to other countries of the world.

In 2000, the composer created the second edition of the musical, and this version was already presented at the Mogador Theater. It was this option that was used for Russian, Spanish, Italian, Korean and other versions.

The Russian premiere was successfully held on May 21, 2002 at the Moscow Operetta Theater. The production was directed by director Wayne Fawkes, invited from the UK. When they first started working on the score, Yuliy Kim, who was responsible for translating the libretto, admitted that it was quite difficult to do. Moreover, not only professional poets were involved in such a painstaking process. That is why the author of the translation of the composition “Belle” was Susanna Tsiryuk, she also owns the lyrics to the songs “Live”, “Sing to me, Esmeralda”. But the translation of the single “My Love” was done by schoolgirl Daria Golubotskaya. It is worth noting that in our country the performance was also promoted according to the European model: about a month before the premiere, the song “Belle” was launched on the radio station performed by Vyacheslav Petkun (Quasimodo), which immediately became popular. Elements of Western style are also present in the choreography.

In 2011, it was decided to organize an international troupe, which included artists from different countries, and made a world tour. Each time she was greeted by an enthusiastic audience and thunderous applause. Until now, this musical has been successfully performed on various stages around the world. Since its inception, it has been shown in 15 different countries and translated into seven languages.

"Notre Dame de Paris" is rightfully considered one of the most popular and recognized musicals among the public. Actually, this is not even surprising. It grabs you literally from the first second until the curtain and doesn’t let go of the audience. It is difficult to imagine another equally popular and recognizable work. It is even more difficult to say which of the songs written by the most popular and greatest lyricist of the Francophonie is the most beautiful, because they are all beautiful! So what does the musical Notre Dame de Paris mean to you? This is love, memories of tender feelings, sadness, printing, compassion and endless admiration of music that is mesmerizing in its beauty.

Video: watch the musical “Notre Dame de Paris”