His eyes make it obvious that he has totally lost it. His mental
state has crossed the point of no return. When he first tried to
kill Quasimodo, 20 years ago, when the malformed gypsy was
only a newborn, the priest managed to talk some reason into
him, to remind him that he was only a human like everyone else,
not some God. But now, no words can reach Claude Frollo, the
self righteous judge. Standing on a gargoyle shaped supporting
beam, he's about to deliver a fatal blow to his adopted son,
whose motions are limited by his attempts to save Esmeralda,
his dark skinned love interest.
It's a pity that we live in a world where lunatics like him are
allowed so much power. It's a pity that France in this era is
ruled by a weak king, someone who is a ruler in name only,
thus unintentionally giving dignitaries the chance to be the
ones who actually rule.
-'And he shall smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery
pit' the judge self talks as he raises his sword.
The next moment, he mercilessly lowers the blade onto the
terrified Quasimodo, thus cutting off the boy's head. As a result,
Esmeralda falls off the beheaded lad's hands and ends up in
the cauldron down below, which is full of lava!
Everybody on the street pauses and looks above them. Everybody
(Frollo's soldiers, gypsies, citizens) is horrified by that scene.
But what horrifies them even more than that action of cruelty
is that demonic laughter, this expression on the judge's aged
face. The light coming from the lave below makes him look like
Devil himself!
-'Did you see now, sinful souls? Did you see what happens to
those who disobey the will of God?' he yells, his voice being
amplified for some reason and further freaking out the rebellions.
After that, nobody has the power to keep resisting anymore.
By the time Frollo has got back in the church, climbed down the
stairs and returned to the street, the largest part of the crowd
has dissipated. Phoebus is the only one who still wants to resist.
-'MURDERER' he yells and charges at his former commander
with a spear.
However, a group of soldiers interfrere and immobilize him
before he can touch Claude.
-'Take this blonde ape back to his cage' the judge commands.
'Tomorrow, he will be executed for duty dereliction and rebellion
incitement'.
Back at the church, three certain gargoyles turn back to stones,
shaking their heads negatively in sorrow. It will be a long time
before they come back to life again.
The 9 year old Claude Frollo is lying on his bed. No matter how
many pillows he shoves his head under, he cannot stop this
torturing sound from reaching his ears. The sound of his father,
the judge Frederic Frollo, abusing his mother.
Past a point, he cannot take it anymore. Forgetting his childlike
fear, he runs to the sweet woman's rescue. When he busts into
his parents' chamber, he sees his half naked mom on the floor,
her body full of red marks, a result of excessive lashing. Next to
her, his stern dad is standing, wielding a whip.
-'DAD, STOP' the boy yells.
His parents turn around.
-'Please, Claude, leave' his mother whispers in fear.
Frederic gives his son a strict look.
-'Do you doubt the words of the Holy Book, son?' he asks.
Claude gulps, starting losing his courage. Frederic quotes
what Bible says at Corinthians' section (11:8):
-'Man did not come from woman, but woman came from man.
Man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man'.
Frederic slowly paces towards his trembling son. To scare him
further, he cracks his whip in the air once.
-'When wife disobeys, it is husband's duty to set her straight'
Frederic concludes.
It's a seemingly ordinary afternoon. Frollo is in his mansion,
sitting on an armchair and reading a religious book. It's been a
few months since the day he sent those filthy gypsies, his adopted
son and that tempting witch, where they belong. Order has
been restored in Paris. Frollo feels a little remorse, but he had
no choice; he was only doing the will of the Lord. That woman
was the incarnation of Devil, generating sinful thoughts to him
and who knows to how many other men. As for the boy he half
heartedly adopted 20 years ago, he had betrayed him, he had
turned against his master, the man who had showed mercy to
him, like Judas had done to Jesus! Such ungratefulness could
only be paid with death. Now Quasimodo is definitely spending
the rest of eternity at the same place as Judas, regretting his
deeds, but it's too late for him to repent.
A servant enters the living room:
-'Sir, someone wants to see you'.
Frollo takes his eyes off the book.
-'Who is it?' he asks.
-'I don't know, sir. He claims he does not know you but he has
something important to tell you' the servant says.
Frollo sighs in annoyance.
-'Did you warn him that whoever bothers a dignitary for no
serious reason runs the risk of receiving up to 50 lashes?' he
asks.
-'Yes... yes sir' the servant hesitantly nods. 'But he insists'.
Frollo is now really curious.
-'Tell him to come in' he orders.
Soon, a bold buddhist monk enters the room.
-'What kind of humanoid are you?' an angry Frollo asks.
-'I am one who is enlightened by the truth. I came here today
to save a lost soul. Yours' the monk meekly answers.
-'What makes you think that I need anyone's help to earn
divine salvation, let alone the help of a freaky rebellion for
no cause like you?' Frollo stands up.
-'Am I wrong if I assume that your father used to often
punish you and your mother in physical ways?' the monk
asks.
Frollo's eyes widen:
-'How... how do you... who are...'
-'It does not matter who I am or how I know that' the monk
bows in an eastern style fashion.
The 11 year old Frollo is lying on his bed. No words can
describe how awful he feels right now. That's how he feels
every time he has an orgasm. Every time he is unable to
resist his urges (which are totally natural and harmless, yet
totally evil in his eyes) and masturbates again, he feels like
a zero.
His father busts in the room, making his son's blood freeze.
-'I heard creaking sounds' he intensely says. 'Why was your
bed rocking, Claude? What were you doing?'
-'N... nothing' the poor kid trembles.
His dad violently uncovers him, tossing the blankets away.
-'This does not look like nothing' he yells, showing the wet
patch in the middle of the bed.
-'Dad, I swear, I only did it for one last time, I did not intend
to ever do it again' Claude pleads with his eyes wet.
-'I'm sorry, son, but you know that each action has its
consequences' Frederic says with a ruthlessly stern
expression.
And so, Claude's father took the boy to the kitchen, where
he poured boiling water on the kid's genitalia, eliciting screams
and tears from Claude.
-'Never forget how lucky you are for being born under those
conditions, son' Frederic said to the crying Claude after the
end of the punishment. 'You received the holy message. You
have a chance to be saved. There are unlucky people out there
who will never receive the message'.
-'Wait' Claude sobs. 'Does that mean that some people are born
destined to go to Hell and never had a choice in the first place?'
-'Precisely' the father nods.
-'But... but isn't that unfair?' Claude dares to talk back.
-'THIS IS GOD'S JUSTICE, YOU INSOLENT' Frederic terrifies him.
'If you think that your sense of justice is superior, you are
committing the deadliest sin you can'.
Frederic calms down a little and stroke's Claude's head. Then,
quoting another bible verse, he says:
-'Few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). In other words, some people
simply can never see light because God did not choose them.
People like gypsies. Ohh, gypsies. Never forget, my son, that
there is no filthiest scum than them'.
Claude nods while wiping his eyes.
-'Listen, my friend' the visitor talks again.
Claude becomes taken aback that someone calls him 'friend'.
Nobody has ever called him that in his life! It kinda feels nice!
Meanwhile, the monk continues:
-'I know that Christianity preaches that everybody deserves
to go to Hell and that an innocent person had to be punished
instead of us so that we would get something we do not
deserve. But this isn't true. All living things deserve to be
happy, just because they are living things! God does not
feel the need to punish any representative of us to forgive
those who see the light. God does not need revenge. This
is a human weakness'.
-'What are you talking about, old man?' Frollo protests, even
though that man looks younger than himself. 'That Christianity
is wrong and that you know better? Do you even doubt the
existence of Jesus?'
-'Maybe he existed, maybe not' the monk shrugs. 'But it
doesn't matter. God has implanted in your hearts what is
right, what you need to know to be saved. You do not need
any prophet from 1400 years ago to tell you what justice is.
Just forget any religion for a moment and look in your heart'.
Frollo is about to call the guards to arrest this man. But, next
moment, when, for a fraction of it, he looks in his heart, he
does see the truth indeed. Justice is what he believed to be
right when he was a child, before his family brainwashed him
with religious stuff. Law is written in our hearts (Romans 2:15)!
This is the only true thing Bible says after all! Why was he blind
all his life?
The finally free Frollo bursts into tears and falls into the unknown
man's arms, who consoles him.
-'Tell me, what must I do from now on?' he asks.
-'Come with me' the monks says in a soothing voice. 'I invite you
to a spiritual journey. Are you ready to leave everything behind?'
Frollo nods! He has never been more sure in his life.
Nobody in Paris saw Frollo again after that day. I won't tell you
where he went or what he did. I'll only tell you this: He finally
defeated his inner demons and gained peace.