In the beginning of Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, the narrator asks the audience a key question that shapes the entire story: “Who is the monster and who is the man?” At the end of the movie, the same character re-words the question: “What makes a monster and what makes a man?” And halfway through the movie, we get the answer to both questions in Quasimodo’s “Heaven’s Light” and Judge Frollo’s “Hellfire.”
Almost every musical fan and their cat has done an analysis of these songs. And now it’s my turn.
Heaven’s Light
“So many times out there,
I’ve watched a happy pair of lovers walking in the night
They had a kind of glow around them
It almost looked liked heaven’s light
I knew I’d never know that warm and loving glow,
Though I might wish with all my might
No face as hideous as my face
Was ever meant for heaven’s light”
Granted, there’s not much going on in this part of the song. We already know that Quasimodo has spent his life watching Paris from the bell tower. And we know he’s insecure about his appearance, from his conversation with Esmeralda in the scene before. But what makes “Heaven’s Light” relevant to “Hellfire” is that it does two things: it preludes how Quasimodo feels about his new friend (which we’ll get to in a bit), and it introduces the duality of heaven and hell, good and evil.
That concept of good and evil is important, not just in the musical numbers but in the rest of the movie. Here, the movie is answering the question asked in the beginning: “Who is the monster and who is the man?” Frollo—the monster—sings about hell, and Quasimodo—the man—sings about heaven. And based on Quasimodo’s words, he sees heaven’s light as the joy that comes from being loved and accepted.
“But suddenly, an angel has smiled at me
And kissed my cheek without a trace of fright
I dare to dream that she might even care for me
And as I ring these bells tonight
My cold dark tower seems so bright
I swear, it must be heaven’s light!”
Quasimodo reveals how he feels about Esmeralda and how this new friendship has affected his view of himself. In addition to holding her up on a pedestal (which isn’t healthy for either of them), Quasimodo feels hope. Esmeralda is the first person who hasn’t called him ugly or treated him as something to fear. She is the first human who’s befriended him, empathized with him. And he even dares to hope she might one day love him. Suddenly, everything looks brighter around him, and he is touched by heaven’s light. After being called a monster for twenty years, this is the first time he dares to see himself as something else. As a man. The Hellfire motif plays as he rings the bells, but the tune is joyful. Celebratory. Hopeful.
Time for Confession
Confiteor Deo Omnipotenti (I confess to God Almighty)
Beatae Mariae semper Virgini (To blessed Mary ever Virgin)
Beato Michaeli archangelo (To the blessed archangel Michael)
Sanctis apostolis omnibus sanctis (To the holy apostles, to all the saints)
Here, Quasimodo’s jubilation is cut short to transition to the next song. We switch to the archdeacon leading a line of monks and chanting Latin verses as they walk through the church. Then we pan through the city to Frollo’s place just as he begins his villain song.
While writing this post, I got in touch with a Catholic friend of mine to better understand what’s going on in this scene. She said these Latin phrases (and the ones that follow throughout Hellfire) are the Confiteor, a common prayer that is said in mass before the Eucharist and at other times. The Confiteor is where they confess their sins and ask for forgiveness. In addition, my friend and her husband explained that sin is what separates us from the divine, and in order to reconnect we have to recognize what we did wrong and set it right through restitution. Admitting wrongdoing brings humility, and humility brings you close to God.
The idea of confession presented here becomes increasingly important as we progress into “Hellfire.”
Frollo, Meet Fire
Beata Maria, you know I am a righteous man
Of my virtue, I am justly proud
Et tibit Pater (And to you, Father)
Beata Maria, you know I’m so much purer than
The common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd
Quia peccavi nimis (That I have sinned)
You gotta love his Karen energy.
I’m not going to talk about this section too much, as YouTuber Ian Talks About Stuff goes into great detail about this stanza in his analysis (link below). I will point out that, as the archdeacon and monks confess sin, Frollo does the exact opposite. Instead of humbling himself, he sings his own praises. He deems himself virtuous, righteous, and pure. He calls himself better than everyone else: the sinner, the common folk, the poor.
Then tell me, Maria, why I see her dancing there,
Why her smoldering eyes still scorch my soul?
Cogitatione (In thought)
I feel her, I see her, the sun caught in her raven hair
Is blazing in me out of all control
Verbo et opere (In word and deed)
The idea of fire is introduced as Frollo visualizes Esmeralda dancing in front of him. He insinuates that thoughts like this shouldn’t bother him, because he’s so pure and without sin. He has no explanation for why he’s experiencing lust and temptation. And while this probably isn’t the first time he’s felt these things, they’re so overwhelming that he doesn’t know what to do about it.
Like fire! Hellfire!
This fire in my skin!
This burning desire
Is turning me to sin
It’s interesting that this moment of temptation is the one that gets to Frollo. He did, after all, kill a Romani woman and almost did the same to her baby at the start of the film. The only difference between this moment and now is that this time, he has no supposedly righteous justification for his sin. As much as the eyes of Notre Dame terrified him twenty years prior, he’s still convinced he did the right thing at the time. And with the stigma against the Romani so prevalent (something I doubt Frollo started), it makes sense that Frollo would feel justified in his war against the outcasts. This time around, he has no way to spin his temptation as a good thing. He is lusting for a woman he despises, and he subconsciously knows that he’s in the wrong.
This moment reveals two things about Frollo. First, he doesn’t want to be like everyone else. He wants to be exceptional, and the idea of being anything less than that is appalling to him. Second, for all his massive faults, Frollo doesn’t want to be evil. To quote Lindsay Ellis in her analysis of Hunchback of Notre Dame, “unlike other Disney villain songs where they’re just singing about how being evil is fun, ‘Hellfire’ is about the anguish it causes him to be the way that he is.” This desire to be a good person, to not be evil, is what makes Frollo the most human of any villain Disney has ever given us. Because most of us want to be good people. And yet, the thing about being good is that we never know how much there is inside of us until it costs us to be good. And we’ll soon find out what Frollo is made of when he has the chance to do good.
Mea Culpa
It’s not my fault!
Mea culpa (My fault)
I’m not to blame!
Mea culpa (My fault)
It was the g—- girl,
The witch who set this flame!
Mea maxima culpa (Through my most grievous fault)
Here, Frollo starts interacting directly with the Confiteor. The monks become red cloaked figures, an assembly of witnesses declaring him guilty. Even so, Frollo maintains innocence, blaming Esmeralda for his feelings. Predictably, the cloaked figures don’t buy it. They keep chanting “my fault, my fault, my most grievous fault” because Frollo knows he’s in the wrong, but he lacks the humility to admit it.
In addition to the racial slur, Frollo calls Esmeralda a “witch,” which in ancient times could mean one of two things: a woman capable of performing magic, or a sexually liberated woman. While this movie doesn’t mention sex directly (for good reasons), it still highlights Esmeralda’s individuality and rebellious spirit. At a time when marriage is an economic affair and women are encouraged to do as they’re told, Esmeralda is revolutionary. She makes her own money, she calls out Frollo for his cruelty, she fights for the rights and dignity of others, she prays to God when society tells her she can’t, and she gives her heart on her terms. All this enrages Frollo, who seeks absolute control of Paris.
It’s not my fault
Mea culpa (My fault)
If in God’s plan
(Mea culpa)
He made the devil so much stronger than man!
Mea maxima culpa (Through my most grievous fault)
Frollo is so desperate to maintain innocence that he blames God for his temptation. Despite the many schisms that exist within Christianity, most would agree that God didn’t make the devil stronger than man. The New Living Translation of 1st Corinthians 10:13 says, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
So here’s a question to keep in mind moving forward: were Frollo’s words uttered in the heat of the moment, or do they reveal something crucial about his religious worldview?
What Makes a Monster and What Makes a Man?
Protect me, Maria
Don’t let this siren cast her spell
Don’t let her fire sear my flesh and bone
Destroy Esmeralda
And let her taste the fires of hell
Or else, let her be mine and mine alone
This is the first time Frollo verbally considers the idea of Esmeralda being his, even if his perfect image of her is an illusion.
This is where the song begins to define the difference between a monster and a man, through each character’s perception of Esmeralda. Quasimodo loves her the way she is, the thought of her makes him happy and gives him hope. And while he hopes that she would love him back, he doesn’t force her to. When she reveals she’s in love with Phoebus, Quasimodo never once considers changing her mind. He mourns the future he envisioned (which anyone would do in his position), and then he lets her go. In contrast, Frollo has always despised everything Esmeralda is, and his lust doesn’t change that.
And before we go further, we should look at the exchange between Frollo and one of the guards.
Guard: Minister Frollo, the g—- has escaped.
Frollo: What?
Guard: She’s nowhere in the cathedral. She’s gone.
Frollo: But how? I…never mind. Get out, you idiot! I’ll find her. I’ll find her if I have to burn down all of Paris!
Because of the religious undertones in this movie, one could interpret this moment as God’s answer to Frollo’s plea. Frollo asks for help in dealing with his temptation, either through destroying Esmeralda or allowing him to own her. And here, he’s presented with a third option: Let her go. By not having the opportunity to have his way with her, Frollo can just ignore her and live the rest of his life. He doesn’t have to act on his temptation.
But the idea of letting her go doesn’t even cross Frollo’s mind. He’s enraged that she’s out of his reach, and his desire for control takes over any devotion to God he may have had. He would rather die or destroy Esmeralda than let her live her life on her terms.
Kyrie Eleison
Hellfire, dark fire
Now g—-, it’s your turn
Choose me or your pyre
Be mine or you will burn!
Worst. Valentine. Ever.
In all seriousness, Frollo has completely forgotten about moving past his temptation. To take back control, he stares into the abyss and declares he’ll get what he wants. And either way, Esmeralda will suffer. This not only shows how people can and do loathe those they lust after, but it also marks the beginning of Frollo’s downfall. In his mind, God no longer has anything to do with how righteous Frollo is. All that matters is his own judgment, and he will burn an entire city to see it through.
God have mercy on her
Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy)
God have mercy on me
Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy)
But she will be mine
Or she will burn!
Here, we get one last glimpse of Frollo’s humanity. He asks for God to forgive Esmeralda for tempting him, and to forgive Frollo for what he’s about to do. To an extent, he understands that what he’s doing is wrong no matter how he justifies it. Regardless, the last of his humanity is quashed as he goes into full villain mode. Frollo will either own Esmeralda, or he will destroy her. And thus, he has crossed the thin boundary from man to monster.
Sources used:
Ian Talks About Stuff, Mixed-Up Metaphors in Hellfire
Lindsay Ellis, The Case for Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame
