Esmeralda/Relationships

The relationships of Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Phoebus
Phoebus was first introduced to Esmeralda at the Feast of Fools, where her alluring performance immediately caught his attention. After saving Quasimodo from the cruelty of Frollo and the people of Paris, Esmera lda sought refuge in the Notre Dame, cathedral. Phoebus took the opportunity to greet the gypsy, though their first interactions were rather rough, as she found herself untrusting towards a member of Frollo's army. Nevertheless, Phoebus proves he's merely seeking friendship, as opposed to her freedom, earning a modest token of gratitude before Frollo arrives and spoils the moment.

Later on, after seeing Phoebus betray Frollo and his laws in exchange for the lives of innocent Paris citizens, Esmeralda begins to warm up to the now former soldier, and eventually saves his life from an attacking Frollo and his guards. That same night, after bringing him to Notre Dame to recover from the attack, Esmeralda and Phoebus share a soft conversation, and soon find themselves falling in love, sealing their mutual romantic attraction with a loving kiss. Following the events of the film, the two apparently marry, and give birth to a seven-year-old boy named Zephyr.

Quasimodo
Ever since they first met, Esmeralda and Quasimodo have had a great and strong friendship. She helps Quasimodo when he is being publicly humiliated at the Festival of Fools becasue of his unattractive looks, which leads to Quasimodo developing strong romantic affections for her to which she is unaware. Quasimodo, in turn, helps Esmeralda secretly escape the cathedral and later bravely saves her from being burned at the stake, and weeps over her when he believes she is dead. During their fight with Frollo, Esmeralda is nearly killed by Frollo because she will not let Quasimodo fall to his death. It is shown that in the second film, whenever Quasimodo had problems, he usually turned to Esmeralda for advice.

Judge Claude Frollo
Frollo is Esmeralda's archenemy and was a serious threat to her life. Despite his power and authority, she was not afraid of him. Not only was she even brave enough to publicly humiliate and insult him at the Festival of Fools (also intriguing him a bit as well), she even had the courage to spit in his face before her attempted execution. Of note, when Esmeralda and Frollo first meet, she playfully brings his face close to hers and kisses the tip of his nose before pulling his hat down. This, however, leads to Frollo becoming unhealthily obsessed with her, becoming the first link in the chain that leads to Frollo's demise.