Archdeacon

The Archdeacon is a minor character in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (film). He

serves as the clergyman at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France.

Background

On one an unusual snowy, winter night, the Archdeacon was apparently roused up to answer someone desperately pounding on the door of Notre Dame. He is responsible for allowing Quasimodo to live by condemning Frollo's murder of Quasimodo's Mother, a gypsy who he was too late to help. Then he arrives just in time saving baby Quasimodo from being drowned by Judge Claude Frollo under the eyes of Notre Dame itself, and the statues of the saints. He convinces Frollo to spare Quasimodo's life or be damned to hell for his actions. He then orders Frollo to raise Quasimodo as his own son for killing Quasimodo's mother, who was a innocent gypsy woman. Frollo agrees, and tells him that he will not let Quasimodo live with him in his church. He asks Frollo where he will raise Quasimodo, and Frollo tells him that he will raise Quasimodo in the bell tower. He then leaves to give Quasimodo's mother a honorable, and respectful funeral for risking her own life to make sure that Quasimodo was safe from the French government.

Live Action Film

Personality

The Archdeacon is almost the complete opposite of Claude Frollo; the one thing they have in common is that they worship God. The Archdeacon is kind to everyone, including gypsies, standing up for Esmeralda when she claims sanctuary in his church, and while he has little actual interaction with Quasimodo during the film, he saves his life as a baby by reminding Frollo that he has just sinned and is about to do so again. He is also the only person shown to have any kind of authority over Frollo, and apart from Esmeralda and Phoebus, he is the only character brave enough to protest against Frollo's evil deeds. As such, the Archdeacon seems to represent the positive side of a spiritual lifestyle, while Frollo represents how it can corrupt.

Live Action Film

Appearance

He is a heavy elderly old man with white hair and eyelashes. He has lighter skin, and wears wears a gold cross necklace with cross down to chest. He completes the outfit with a red cap, a wide baby blue robe, and a wide white inner robe. In the sequel, he is now averagely skinny. He still has gray hair but his face is thin and he has darker skin. He has a long nose, wears a gold cross necklace with it cross down to his stomach, along with wearing a red cap with skinny baby light-reddish outer robe, and a skinny white inner robe.

Live Action Film

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (film)

20 years later, he defends Esmeralda when she claims sanctuary in Notre Dame from Frollo. He then gives Esmeralda advice, and tells that someone in the cathedrals will help her. He then leaves before Esmeralda starts singing God Help The Outcast. When Quasimodo is being scolded by the Parishioner who mistook him causing trouble on the Cathedral's nave, by not realizing he was being tortured at the festival. The Parishioner is scolded by the Archdeacon for scolding Quasimodo. He and the other priests provide some of the dialogue in the song Hell Fire.

In his final appearance, the Archdeacon steps forward to protest against Esmeralda's execution, but is halted by the guards. When Frollo breaks into the cathedral to kill Esmeralda and Quasimodo. He demands Frollo to call off the attack on Notre Dame, and to stay away from the two. In angry response Frollo shoves him down a flight of stairs, which result in him injuring his ankle. Frollo then locks the Archdeacon out of the belltower so he can't interfere a second time, like he did before with saving Quasimodo 20 years ago. He eventually survives, and celebrates Frollo's defeat along with the defeat of his soldiers who surrendered to the French army. Since he is lastly seen cheering with the crowd when Phoebus and Esmeralda emerge safely from the church.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2

He appears in the second film when he informs that Le Fidele was Stolen.

Songs sung by the Archdeacon

• The Bells of Notre Dame
• Hell Fire (Beginning intro only)

Video Games

Kingdom of Hearts Dream Drop Distance

He was only Mention by Quasimodo when Riku came to the cathedral looking for Frollo.

Quotes

• (To Frollo before he kills Baby Quasimodo) "Stop!"
• (To Frollo upon learning that he killed Quasimodo's Mother) "SEE THERE THE INNOCENT BLOOD YOU HAVE SPILT ON THE STEPS OF NOTRE DAME".
• (Blaming him for killing Quasimodo's Mother) "NOW YOU WOULD ADD THIS CHILD'S BLOOD TO YOUR GUILT ON THE STEPS OF NOTRE DAME".
• (Telling Frollo that he can't hide what he has done) "YOU CAN LIE TO YOURSELF AND YOUR MINIONS. YOU CAN CLAIM THAT YOU HAVEN'T A QUALM. BUT YOU NEVER CAN RUN FROM, NOR CAN YOU HIDE WHAT YOU'VE DONE FROM THE EYES THE VERY EYES OF NOTRE DAME".
• (To Frollo upon wondering what to do with Baby Quasimodo) "Care for the child and raise it as your own".
• (To Frollo upon learning that Quasimodo will not live with him or be raised in the church) "Live here? Where?".
• (To Frollo when he tries to aresst Esmeralda in the church) "Frollo! You will not touch her!".
• (To Esmeralda) "Don't worry. Minister Frollo learned years ago to respect the sanctity of the church".
• (To Esmeralda when Frollo left the church) "Don't act rashly, child. You created quite a stir at the festival. It would be unwise to arouse Frollo's anger further"
• (To Esmeralda when they talk about how badly Quasimodo was treated at the festival) "You can't right all the wrongs in this world by yourself."
• (Referring to Quasimodo when Esmeralda tells him that no one will help her) "Perhaps there's someone in here who can."
• (Last Words to Frollo during the evil judge's final hours) "Frollo, have you gone mad? I will not tolerate this assault on the house of God!"
• (Warning Phoebus that a bell was stolen) "La Fidele. It's gone. The bell has been stolen." (The Hunchback of Notre Dame II)

Relationships

Quasimodo's Mother

was apparently roused to answer someone desperately pounding on the door of Notre Dame. He is responsible for allowing Quasimodo to live by condemning Frollo's murder of Quasimodo's Mother, a gypsy who he was too late to help. He then leaves to give Quasimodo's mother a honorable, and respectful funeral for risking her own life to make sure that Quasimodo was safe from the French government.

Esmeralda

Esmeralda first met the Archdeacon when Frollo ordered Phoebus to arrest her and Phoebus refused. The Archdeacon was on her back, ordering Frollo and the soldiers out of the church. Frollo stays behind long enough to warn her that she can only stay inside for so long and proceeded to station guards at every door, forcing Esmeralda to rethink her exit strategy. The Archdeacon counseled her against antagonizing Frollo further and reminded her that she could not right all the wrongs in the world on her own. At his suggestion, she offers a heartfelt prayer to God to help her and her people. After Frollo's death, the Archdeacon is happy that Esmeralda survived the battle.

Judge Claude Frollo

Frollo and the Archdeacon worked together in the church, though their hatred for each other was obvious. It was the Archdeacon who insisted that Frollo raise Quasimodo to atone for the murder of the latter's mother. Twenty years later, the Archdeacon also prevented him from capturing Esmeralda. Finally, Frollo became tired of the Archdeacon's meddling and threw him down a flight of stairs when he attempted to order Frollo to call off the assault on Notre Dame.

Triva

• Although the Archdeacon was the one who originally saved Quasimodo's life, the two are never seen together.
• Though the Archdeacon does not appear physically in Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance, he was briefly mentioned by Quasimodo to Riku inside the cathedral.
• In the first film, the Archdeacon is fat, but in the second, he (he only appeared for a split second near the end when Sarousche and his minions are raiding the cathedral) is skinny!
• Another reason implies that he changed significantly between the first and second film. Or that he has a substitute succeeding him in his place, and that he died before the second film.

Voice Actors

• Japanese : Goro Matsumiya (Speaking), Morimasa Sagawa (Singing)
• English : the late David Ogden Stiers (First film), Jim Cummings (Sequel)

Played by in (Live Action): Simon Russell Beale

all information on the Archdeacon came from http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Archdeacon

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