The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Book 7, Chapter 2 summary

What happens

1. Claude Frollo watches La Esmeralda dance, notices her male companion, and descends past Quasimodo, who also watches the square.
2. Claude recognizes Gringoire performing with a chair and cat, startles him into dropping them, and summons him into the cathedral.
3. Gringoire explains that poverty drives him to perform and that La Esmeralda becomes his wife through a marriage ceremony among beggars.
4. Claude’s anger eases when Gringoire says their marriage remains chaste and describes the amulet meant to help her find her parents.
5. Gringoire describes La Esmeralda’s protectors, fears, and goat, including its ability to spell Phœbus, a word she privately repeats.
6. Claude demands further oaths of chastity, claims spiritual concern, and angrily leaves after Gringoire describes spying through her keyhole.

In this chapter

What to notice

The question exposes Claude’s unexplained personal interest. His blush and spiritual warning do not resolve the tension between his authority and his agitation.

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