Who Esmeralda is
Esmeralda dances in the square before Notre-Dame, drawing attention from the crowd and from people whose desires threaten her. She is about sixteen, is believed to be Romani, and performs with her trained goat, Djali.
Her kindness reaches beyond the people who treat her well or offer her protection. When the poor poet Pierre Gringoire faces hanging in the Court of Miracles, she saves him through a marriage in name only.
What Esmeralda wants
Esmeralda hopes that love can give her a safe life and a family. After Phoebus de Châteaupers rescues her from an attempted kidnapping, she sees the handsome captain as a hero. She falls for him without recognizing how little his intentions resemble her hopes.
Esmeralda and the others in the story
Quasimodo first approaches Esmeralda as a threat, trying to seize her on Claude Frollo's orders. Yet when he suffers public punishment and begs for water, she steps forward to help him. Her mercy awakens his devotion, and he wants to protect her without asking anything in return.
Questions
Who is Esmeralda?
Esmeralda is a young dancer who performs near Notre-Dame with Djali, her white goat.
Why does Esmeralda marry Pierre Gringoire?
She marries him out of pity to save him from hanging. The marriage remains in name only, and she keeps him at a distance.