Esmeralda is the deuteragonist of the musical adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, based on the character of the same name.
Background[]
In the German musical adaptation of the film, Esmeralda is portrayed as a young dancer who is a newcomer to the Court of Miracles. She gets very frustrated with inequality. She has difficulty keeping her thoughts to herself which is why she had to move to Paris and why she gets in trouble with Frollo. Not as sassy as she is in the film, she comes off as sweeter and naive, which is more akin to the original novel. in the musical, is not her who brings Phoebus to Quasimodo, with that part being given to the Archdeacon. The musical features a new scene between Esmeralda's capture and execution, in which she sings "Someday" as a way to express her dying wish of the world becoming a better place. As in the original novel, Esmeralda dies, though she is killed by smoke inhalation instead of by Frollo. Her death causes Quasimodo to kill Frollo, and, in the end, carries her corpse and leaves Notre Dame.
In the North American musical, Esmeralda's role is similar to the original musical. However, one of the main differences is that she does not go to Notre Dame to hide from Frollo, since Frollo in this version is the cathedral's archdeacon, instead simply following Quasimodo out of curiosity. During this visit, Esmeralda meets Frollo, with Frollo ultimately agreeing to let Esmeralda stay inside the cathedral for a time. Another notable difference is that she and Phoebus share their first kiss inside a tavern in which gypsies hide, unknowingly being watched by a disgusted Frollo. This version of the musical also has Esmeralda bringing an injured Phoebus as in the original film and giving him during that moment the amulet with the map. It also alters the "Someday" number, with Frollo offering to save Phoebus instead of her if she agrees to be his mistress, and sings "Someday" as a duet with Phoebus instead of a solo. While she dies in the end as in the original musical, her fate also slightly differs as, after her and Frollo's death, Quasimodo holds her corpse until starving to death.
