# The Marriage of Quasimodo explained — Notre-Dame de Paris

> Chapter companion for Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

Following the execution of La Esmeralda and the death of Claude Frollo, Quasimodo disappears from Notre-Dame. Years later, in the charnel-house of Montfaucon, two skeletons are found embracing: one of a woman with remnants of a white garment and a worthless silk bag, the other of a man with a crooked spine and unequal legs—Quasimodo, who had come to die with his beloved.

## Themes in this chapter

### Obsession and Destructive Love

Quasimodo's devotion to Esmeralda leads him to die embracing her skeleton, a final act of love that transcends death.

### Fate and Destiny

The discovery of the two skeletons intertwined suggests an inescapable fate binding Quasimodo and Esmeralda beyond the grave.

## Character check-ins

### Quasimodo

Disappears after the execution and is later found as a skeleton embracing Esmeralda's remains in Montfaucon.

### La Esmeralda

Her body was taken to Montfaucon after execution; her skeleton is found with a string of beads and an empty silk bag.

### Dom Claude Frollo

Mentioned as having died on the same day as Esmeralda, contributing to the events leading to Quasimodo's disappearance.

### Olivier le Mauvais

His body was searched for in the charnel-house two years after the story's events, leading to the discovery of the two skeletons.

## Key lines

> Montfaucon was, as Sauval says, 'the most ancient and the most superb gibbet in the kingdom.'

According to Sauval, Montfaucon was the oldest and most magnificent gallows in the kingdom.

_Describes the historical significance of the gibbet._

> When they tried to detach the skeleton which he held in his embrace, he fell to dust.

When they attempted to separate the skeleton he was holding, it crumbled into dust.

_Emphasizes the fragility and finality of Quasimodo's remains._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/notre_dame_de_paris_se/chapters/iv-the-marriage-of-quasimodo
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/notre_dame_de_paris_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/notre_dame_de_paris_se/chapters