Character

Esmeralda

Esmeralda is the deuteragonist of Disney's 1996 animated feature film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She is a young Romani woman referred to derogatorily with the slur 'gypsy' by many characters. Esmeralda is an outspoken humanitarian, which drives her to protect the deformed bell-ringer, Quasimodo, from his oppressors—namely, Claude Frollo. This act of mercy, coupled with her beauty and cultural background, makes Esmeralda the main target of Frollo's wrath. Esmeralda is verbally powerful, street-wise, cunning, positive and morale and smart. Aside from this fiery nature, Esmeralda is ultimately a kind, loving selfless soul underneath. She was the only human character in the film, for the first half, to ever show kindness towards the deformed and naïve Quasimodo.