Claude Frollo

Character
Name:	Claude Frollo
Occupation:	Archdeacon of Notre-Dame de Paris (novel), otherwise it depends on the adaption
Relationships:
Fandom:
Other:
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Dom Claude Frollo is the main antagonist in Victor Hugo's 1831 gothic novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.

Novel

On January 19, 2023, sillyvampireboi said:

I read the book in 3 days, and apart from how terrifying his character is, he has become my favourite from the whole novel. Before reading the book, i only saw the disney movie, but oh dear his original character is so different and there is much much more to him ( in the disney version they made him too evil I think)

Adaptions

• Claude Frollo's first appearance in moving pictures was in the 1911 film Notre-Dame de Paris. He was portrayed by actor Claude Garry
• Frollo appears as the main villain in Disney's 1996 adaptation of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" voiced by actor Tony Jay. He is officially a member of Disney's popular pantheon of villain characters

Fandom

Although a lot of fannish activity is focused on the 1996 animated Disney movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, other versions of Dom Claude have their fanbase too.

Relationships

In Disney fandom, bromance-style crossovers with Gaston from the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast (1991) are not uncommon.

Art Gallery

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  Derek Jacobi as Claude Frollo by Lady-CaT (2009)

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  Dom Claude Frollo by Agriografo (2012)

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  Delirium by chrisbelieves via Dom Claude Frollo (posted no later than October 07, 2017)

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  Dom Claude Frollo by SerafinAdele (2019)

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  Judge Claude Frollo by sillyvampireboi (2023)

Meta

• Ship wars, fanfiction, potatoes, Frollo, the Prime Minister of Canada, and geese: the agony and ecstasy of the Justinian Fandom; archive link (2022)

Fan Comments

While I find the term “fandom frollo” both accurate and amusing, I think this term is also a bit too opaque, since anyone who isn’t familiar with Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame won’t really understand the connotation there. Plus, well, some of us anti-antis/pro-shippers are big fans of Frollo as a character, so associating negative IRL fandom behaviour with that character could become alienating to the actual Frollo fandom.

Being a big Disney fan, I’ve seen a lot of Disney films and I’ve seen a lot of fan discussions about the Top Tens of Disney characters. Top Ten Heroines, Top Ten Villains, Top Ten Songs, etc. Claude Frollo from “Hunchback of Notre Dame” is often listed in the Top Ten Disney Villains lists. He is one of the most popular Disney villains, for a number of reasons. One reason is because of the sheer depravity of his actions in the film, especially by Disney standards. Another reason, however, is because many people find him the most relatable and most human of the Disney villains. I’ve seen many people argue that one of the reasons why Frollo is so frightening is because he’s self-righteous; he honestly believes that he’s justified and right to do the horrible things that he does. His crowning moment of despair and passion in the film, the powerful song “Hellfire,” doesn’t feature him crowing about how evil he is, but about how he’s torn between his prejudices and his lust for Esmeralda. For this reason, many people think that he’s the most realistic Disney Villain.

Fannish Links

• Dom Claude Frollo, ^{Archived version}, a tumblr blog dedicated to all versions of Frollo that have been inspired by Victor Hugo's novel
• Frollozone, a fansite
• THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1923) Nigel De Brulier as Claude Frollo, ^{Archived version}, gif set by uinra on tumblr, 2022

Archives & Resources

• Claude Frollo (Disney) tag on the Ao3
• Wikipedia:Claude Frollo