Mixed-Up Metaphors in Hellfire

Tried something a little different with this one. Let me know whether you think the comics are effective, and also whether or not I'm so un-funny I should avoid them like the plague.
This one's an analysis on The Hunchback of Notre Dame's track, "Hellfire." There's a lot of interesting symbolism and imagery to unpack here, and I do like how the video came out overall.

[@tinymxnticore]

Esmerelda: *exists* Frollo: So I took that personally

[@justarandompeople3782]

First reply.

[@magmell777]

Second reply.

[@depsm7333]

Third reply.

[@tiatamara3199]

fifth reply

[@pencilservant5447]

Sixth reply

[@Dan-id8wv]

The first line sets up his hypocrisy. "Of my virtue I am justly proud" But pride is a sin, humility is its virtue. His wording is an oxymoronic humble brag.

[@thethirdsicily4802]

Being proud isn't the same as being prideful, but no Frollo is definitely in the prideful level.

[@Ristretto_Interest]

Yeah I'm glad someone else pointed this out. It's always bothered me when I listed to this as an adult because a religious man is attempting to justify the feeling of self purposed pride to a holy Matron.

[@yourmotherisaseal5239]

@@Ristretto_Interest the keyword is justly (even though it’s not just)

[@toasterofdoom9629]

​@@thethirdsicily4802 In catholicism, and and most forms of christianity in general, to be proud of your virtue is taking credit for your virtue. it's taught very clearly, nobody is really a virtuous person. Your virtue is God reflecting through. It's Christ in you that makes you virtuous. Nothing you do or don't do can make you virtuous, or save you, or bring you closer to the glory of God. It's Christ that transforms you into virtue. He's commiting the sin of pride at best, and the heresy of salvation through works at worst.

[@wayneigoe6722]

Welcome to the logic of the church from that time... (not that it changed much in 400+ years)

[@tessaminick8745]

It seems to me that the contracticory use of hellfire represents the fact that deep down Frollo knows he's the sinner and is trying to project the sin onto Esmeralda.

[@Geospasmic]

I got this too. He feels the hellfire because he fears that's what's waiting for him.

[@izabellagoebel6961]

I figured she was more of a literal Hellfire, his lust for her is actually inflicting suffering and anguish, and is some form of realtime punishment for sins he has committed and will continue to commit. Throughout the rest of the film he mentions loosing sleep to this but continues to pursue her, and because he's still lusting over her, he makes an offer: choose between me and death. If he wasnt actively lusting for her throughout the end of the film he wouldn't have bothered giving her an option, he might not have even pursued her on such a precise level to kill her, and based of this song lust has a HUGE impact on him, so for him to be punished by his interpretation of Hellfire (Esmeralda) in real time for his real time sins seems fitting.

[@Geospasmic]

@@izabellagoebel6961 This is also true, it's both metaphorical and physical. The novel goes into more detail, describing how he lies on the stone floor because it's cold but it doesn't help.

[@mckenzie.latham91]

Yeah because of his moral righteousness he can’t accept that he has weakness and or these desires, so he blames Esmerelda as a witch for casting a spell on him, as in his mind that’s the only way a pious and just man as he sees himself would be tempted to such sin especially with people (romani) who he despises and views as heathens and inferiors.

[@larissabolzanneves250]

If you pay attention to the beginning of the song, he says that, because of "his virtues" he is 'justly proud'. When pride itself it's not only a sin, but one of the 7 deadly sins. He was always a sinner and admitted to this before even realizing

[@catherinecao4810]

Frollo asks God to have mercy for Esmerelda first. This is his last act of humanity.

[@CyberWarezz05]

I always interpreted that as:"prepare yourself", because he wanted to kill her.And he asked for mercy for himself because he knew he will become a murderer

[@ladyofnoxus6733]

@@CyberWarezz05 oh dang I didn't even think about that. That makes sense.

[@wynterfir]

@@CyberWarezz05 same. I could never see Frollo as humane. He was a monster. Of course he wouldn’t ask for mercy on Esmerelda’s behalf but rather himself as he’s a selfish prick whose worried about his eternal soul and only his.

[@maximillian1109]

I always thought of it as him praying to God that she would see "reason" and accept him as her lover/master. Like, her not putting up a fight would ve a mercy on her from God.

[@mckenzie.latham91]

It does sort of reference that he does have some kind of humanity, but it’s instantly suppressed by his desires and moral righteousness that reinforces that if she doesn't pick him she deserves to burn, so that either he will have her as his own or he will be rid of her to ease his suffering and desires. It's a fascinating character type to analyze.

[@SunScourge]

I just realised Esmeralda's scarf is patterned with suns, stars and moons, aka Heaven's Light :P

[@ihavelemonade5640]

oh! what a nice detail

[@hirahiro2331]

He burned heaven...so heaven took him to soviet russia

[@snqoqo]

@@hirahiro2331 god took him to brazil

[@hirahiro2331]

@@snqoqo 🤣

[@torrinmcgeehicks8698]

@@snqoqo and god shall punish the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pits of Brazil

[@lizziedoesthings1450]

I remember hearing this song for the first time and just being thoroughly creeped out cuz Esmerelda was literally just existing

[@ravenartistofficial]

Ikr, it’s like that stereotype of the bully who bullies their crush because they think they’re cute but are too afraid of being made fun of if they’re open about their feelings. In other words, perv in secret but prosecute the innocent openly. He knows he’s wrong.

[@user-hanging-at-the-hanged-man]

This actually super common in real life unfortunately

[@annejones3659]

Right? Girl was just living her best life

[@spooniesarah]

That was definitely the point of the song. She's just living her life, but HOW DARE SHE BE SEXY?!?! Seriously dude?

[@Samus7000]

It’s disgustingly common for that to happen to women. Too many men see women as objects for their own entertainment.

[@aquagirl555]

it gets more layers when you compare and contrast with Quasimodo's 'heavens light' song, as well as how it ties to their reactions when they are rejected, Quasimodo, while sad, accepts her choice, while Frollo kills her for rejecting him

[@mckenzie.latham91]

Yeah many people forget that both out there and hellfire are duets between Frollo and Quasimodo both songs revels the nature and character of each, and establishes the contrast between them Out there’s opening shows us how Frollo sees the world as cruel and unjust, his manipulation of Quasi and his own cruelty only for Quasi to then take over and show us that he is a kind and optimist person who just wants to live one day as a normal person, and see the world as place of wonder and curiosity. Heaven's light shows us Quasi’s happiness at meeting someone who treats him normal despite his looks and how he fees like he’s been touched by heaven While frollo sings hellfire to show us how his obsession and desires have driven him mad and his determination that he will either make the gypsy his or kill her to rid him of her influence.

[@TyrannisUmbra]

@@mckenzie.latham91 It always makes me a little sad when people analyze or talk about this song by itself, when it's the second half of something much bigger and more impactful.

[@mckenzie.latham91]

@@TyrannisUmbra I think people either don't realize or just forget i myself as a kid didn’t realize this until i was older and someone pointed it out to me and as soon as they did it hit me and i was like “oh yeah right" so i can understand how people might miss it.

[@simonharvey692]

How does this have 1.7k likes but only 3 replies?

[@anyataubman8217]

Yep, true.

[@evenmoor]

I always found it rather amusing that Frollo actually acknowledges this musical number in the following scene, where he tells Phoebus that he "had a little trouble with the fireplace." It's a pretty unusual self-aware moment for a musical. "Hellfire," is, I think a very good example of the concept of sin. It's not just doing something wrong. It's doing something wrong in full awareness that it's wrong (the chorus singing the Mea Culpa, and Frollo's line at the end "God have mercy on her / God have mercy on me"), and doing it anyway ("I'll have her if I have to burn down all of Paris!" "But she will be mine / Or she will burn"). As you point out in the video, Frollo tries to maintain the pretense of his purity by placing the blame for his lustful feelings on Esmeralda, but he's well aware that his thoughts, words, and deeds are his own ("Quia peccavi nimis / Cogitatione / Verbo et opere"). They are *his* lusts, *his* desires. And he not only decides to act on them but to literally burn down (again with the fire imagery!) Paris in order to achieve his goal. The chorus also plays a very interesting role in this song. It's both Frollo's conscience ("Mea culpa") and a third party ("Kyrie eleison"). A chorus in an ancient Greek play provides commentary on the action of the play. The plea for mercy in "Hellfire" feels very much in tune with this, as if the Communion of Saints were observing Frollo's actions and praying for mercy, for him, for Esmeralda, and for the people of Paris who are going to suffer due to Frollo's actions.

[@dwell7315]

ooooooooooh I've never imagined the chorus in this song filling the role of a Greek chorus but that actually makes so much sense! In some Greek plays the chorus even told the audience what was going on in the characters' minds so that can even explain the "self-reflection" aspect of some choral lines in this song. That's fascinating

[@therandomd2717]

Great observation but I think sin is still sin even when unaware of doing it

[@OBNOXIOUSBLA13]

The Random D The Random D nope. If your going by the Catholic, and by extension Frollo's, under standing of sin than full knowledge and free choice are integral for a sin to be committed. Conscience is the final deciding factor of whether a sin has been committed. There's actually a term for this exact thing that I can't remember (I think it's like "perfect ignorance or something) that describes if someone doesn't "know" that something is sinful. If someone who doesn't speak a lick of English pick up the phrase "G*ddammit" from like a coworker but contextually it means the same to them as saying "Crap" and they have No Idea what the words mean then they have not committed a sin despite breaking a commandment. There's also room for someone lacking free choice. If someone is attacked and in self defense in the heat of the moment kills their attacker it could be argued that they did not commit a sin because this wasn't something they freely chose. This is different than say if the first person is told what the word means, believes in God and chooses to keep saying it any way despite knowing they shouldn't. Or if the second person manages to subdue their attacker where they can't hurt them anymore and then killing them. At that point it's a choice. The general idea seems to be that God takes a more individualized approach to the state of ones soul. It makes no sense to judge everyone by a rigid unmoving standard when everyone is handcrafted to be entirely unique and has been placed in very different situations. Yes there is a standard to which we are held but but it's not without nuance. Frollo for example is in his heart fully aware that it's not Esmeralda that's the problem. He's struggling with temptation. Fun fact the Catholic concept of purgatory actually regards the purifying, or purgative, fire in purgatory and the fires in hell as being the same thing, it's just that in hell there's nothing to purify so the pain is endless torment rather than purifying suffering. Point of note with regards with temptation: Concupiscence, that being the human inclination to Want sin is not a sin itself. Being tempted is not a sin, and in fact because God gives us the necessary grace to overcome sin when we resist temptation we glorify Him. And we actually see this in Hellfire though it's not really touched on in the video. This entire song is Frollo's concupiscence. He's wrestling with his temptation but we actually see during the break right after he pleads with the Virgin Mary to intercede for him to God to free him of his temptation that a Messenger veiled in an ethereal light shows up to tell him Esmeralda is gone. Frollo's prayer has been answered and God has given Frollo the opportunity by message of an Angel to choose grace and let go of his temptation. Naturally Frollo proceeds to call the Angel an idiot and tells him to get out. From he we watch Frollo break down and succumb to temptation. He commits his decision to lust after Esmeralda or destroy her. This is the moment when Frollo commits a sin.

[@Theroha]

@@OBNOXIOUSBLA13 That is a fascinating interpretation of the messager at the end of the song. Really cool tidbit that gets lost if you don't come from a religion with intercessory prayer. Growing up Mennonite, I never even picked up on the fact that he was actually praying in the song because he was praying to the Virgin Mary instead of YHWH.

[@theywalkinguptoyouand4060]

@@OBNOXIOUSBLA13 interesting. That's one of the reasons Catholicism is messed up. If you do atrocities but believe you are not committing sin or harming anyone, it's not a sin.

[@collegemaster5683]

"Are you _sure_ , Jesus? They smell kinda bad." "I am overwhelmed by the sexy, therefore it must be bad." I can tell I'm gonna end up liking this video XD

[@limonika6469]

1:41 2:57

[@simonharvey692]

THE SEXY IS TOO MUCH. that killed me btw

[@drunkginger0077]

Pffffffft that’s hilarious 😂

[@mea1093]

"I kill people because I can't express myself"

[@ScriptManu]

Frollo: buries his feelings with denial feelings bursting: Frollo: Oh shit oh fuck XD 10:38

[@insecureintellectual4783]

I also found the imagery with the red figures very interesting. He is a judge, but now he is the one under trial. Thus symbolizing his fear of becoming everything he goes against.

[@soulstealer5625]

The flowing red robes of the inquisition, especially towards the end of the song as they loom over him while he looks visibly small and afraid.

[@Kivlor]

@@soulstealer5625 An interesting alternative interpretation is that in Catholicism, the martyrs are represented by the color red. He is surrounded by a choir of martyred saints, crying out for him to beg forgiveness, and simultaneously, praying for his forgiveness.

[@glasscardproductions4736]

@@Kivlor, adding to this, if I may, opposing his flawed view of them as trying to condemn and damn him, when they merely want him to repent of his, to put it lightly, issues.

[@colbymcarthur7871]

they're so vaguely animated that they could be martyrs OR devils- the torturers or those trying to save him

[@rubikscuber3367]

Y’all went so deep on this

[@PramkLuna]

Frollo's use of "hell fire" is a foil to Quasimodo's "heaven's light", the two both want to have love from Esmerelda, but their perspectives on her are very different with Frollo seeing her as a witch and Quasimodo looking at her as a gift from heaven

[@badboyluvr]

Even more interesting when you take into account that neither of these men who sing about their interpretations of Esmerelda end up with her. Phoebus does (in the Disney version anyway) & not only does he not get a song about her in the movie, he treats her as an equal.

[@OnyxIdol]

Quasimodo loves her, Frollo wants to posess her (physically).

[@opalescent4694]

@@OnyxIdol Quasimodo doesn't love her, he objectifies her as well and puts her up on a pedestal. Both Frolo and Quasimodo do similar things, it's just Quasimodo does it in a less bad way.

[@OnyxIdol]

That's fair I don't really know the story.

[@hiffahyphae6707]

@@opalescent4694 so basically quasi idolized her, frollo objectifies her? I have never watched the movie Edit: ah, nvm, I see now.

[@hanaeve__]

It’s crazy and kinda sad that Disney will most likely never do something like this again.

[@Mintaikk]

Yeah, i remember watching this with my sister a few months ago. This song seriously caught me off gaurd, but I really like it. I've watched some other disney movies kind of like this as well. I want more of the dark undertone disney movies because in my opinion they're really good at it.

[@angell8632]

Honestly I wish that there sometimes was a studio like disney that made movies for more mature audiences. Still gorgeously animated with good messages and songs, but aimed for a more mature demographic so it was possible to do more dark and abstract plot points and imagery.

[@perrilewis180]

Yeah. The Shadow Man from Princess and the frog was the last Disney villain.

[@Infinijam]

@@perrilewis180 Dr. Facilier?

[@DisneyLuver97]

@@perrilewis180 what about Te Ka?

[@littleteeny]

He’s the best villain bc people like him literally exist in real life therefore he’s the scariest

[@aleisterlavey9716]

Frollo: She made my old limp wood hard as a Rock, clearly a sign of witchery...

[@donnadisney7381]

👀

[@pudgey.pigeon6665]

@@aleisterlavey9716 this was really detailed for absolutely no reason😭😭😭😭

[@imrightyourewrongshutup1096]

@@aleisterlavey9716 😭😭😭

[@icravedeath.1200]

Some who cannot control their vices.

[@matthewodonnell6906]

The French version of this song (Infernale, Bacchanale) has some great lyrics that sometimes hit even harder than the English version such as: ” What burning, what torture, the flames of her hair devour my body with obscene marks” “Infernal, bacchanal, hell blackens my flesh with sin, with desire. Heaven must punish me.” “Destroy Esmerelda, let a veal of fire be her death shroud or make her belong to me, & me alone.” "Lord, have mercy on her, have mercy on me, but make her offer herself up to me or she will burn!" Edit: I mixed two of the lines together & recognized my mistake after listening to the song in French again.

[@thenosieyartist6924]

Oh

[@lemagloria]

I can't stop laughing at this cause this dude is having late puberty stroke and wanna kill his crush damn...it even more sad cause it must have happen it real life as Well yikes...

[@Bubblemation]

@@lemagloria did you write this after a stroke or something?

[@maximillian1109]

Damn...

[@lemagloria]

@@Bubblemation do you feel attacked? Got something to confesse?

[@Lizzy3D]

Your analysis made me realise that a lot of men and even women actually think like Frollo: "What were you wearing?" As if the subject of desire is to blame for desire that started within themselves

[@ARCtheCartoonMaster]

Well, it's a good thing I prefer women in jeans and T-shirts.

[@zrc1514]

Even Jesus said that the best way to avoid sin is to gouge out your own eyes.

[@Anonymous_Gambito]

When my mother won't stop complaining about every woman she sees "basically with their ass out", as she says, I can't help but feel suspicious.

[@hayleybartek8643]

Oh, it's not limited to desire. There's plenty of people out there who hate others and will act on it because of what they wear.

[@yourbookisexceptionallylou4906]

you have equipped me with this knowledge and i thank you for that

[@ArchiduquesaMA]

I like how Frollo went from "Protect me, Maria" to "destroy Esmeralda!!"

[@whatiswhat8061]

sword and board

[@j.d.1856]

You forgot the part where a faceless guard interrupts his song then a somewhat ethereal light illuminates the roof contrary to the darker more sinister light from the furnace

[@IanTalksAboutStuff]

I was torn on whether to talk about that since it's more of an interlude than part of the actual song, and eventually decided against it.

[@Acorn_Anomaly]

@@IanTalksAboutStuff I think it's an interesting addition personally, because it's literally Frollo's last chance to save himself, and walk into the light. The "gypsy girl" is gone - he can just let her go, walk away from the fire and into the light, and carry on with his life. Instead, he turns away from the light to almost worship the flames.

[@sambrown9052]

To add on to this point, the color of the light behind the guard is blue, blue (specifically ultramarine) has been typically attributed to the Virgin Mary within art history. Frolo is praying to invoke the Virgin Mary to help him with his horny problem and when his prayers are answered, he rejects her for his own self loathing pleasure. Just another layer of frolo contradicting himself.

[@jacthing1]

@@sambrown9052 but ultramarines aren't ultramarine blue? They are in fact a shade of cobalt blue, which makes they're entire existence a massive lie

[@Tacticslion]

@@sambrown9052 This is a fantastic comment and is not something I'd thought of or noticed before! Thank you so much for making it!

[@natalee8223]

When I was little I thought he was singing about how much he hated Esmeralda...

[@rezn6897]

Agreed, until now I’ve always thought he just plain hated her

[@spooniesarah]

Lust can exist alongside hate. So I posit that your original assumption was partially correct. He hated her because she was a commoner, gypsy, not nearly as pious as he (eye roll). And he lusted her because, hello, she's sexy! And he hated her because of that too.

[@chantlmcclary6419]

@@rezn6897 Tbh with u I actually believed he was bout to get the inquisition , hunt her down , capture her , and Rape her senseless cuz he was Lowkey Horny as hell and wanted to posses her like some cursed forbidden treasure or sum . All of this was extremely sad cuz sis wasn't doing shit but walking the earth , dancing , breathing air, and looking at the world with the pretty green eyes she was born with. 😐

[@whitleyebner5520]

Same!

[@louise4152]

@@chantlmcclary6419 lowkey?

[@ShadowyKatz]

Sweet lord, I know the discussion is on the language of the song, but can I point out that among all the creepy, unsettling moments during this number, him rubbing the scarf on his face? That just sent shivers up my spine.

[@IronycheinPain]

agreed here.

[@ThexDynastxQueen]

Disney: You know...for kids! Seriously I will never understand how a movie on a Victor Hugo novel was greenlit let alone how the movie's story was OK'd and rated G but I thank the Gods that it was. There's so much going on here and I wish this would've gotten Disney to open up to mature animated content like early Don Bluth works.

[@floweyfangirl69420]

I was wincing and uncomfortable the whole song since my parents were with me

[@Pyromaniac21]

It gets worse. Rewatch the Esmerlda dancing scene... and think about how few women in that time wore undergarments. Then come to realize much to your horror that part of what Frollo got to see was her vertical smile.

[@vi0let831]

@@Pyromaniac21 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA VERTICAL SMILE OH MY GOD 💀

[@juliantotriwijaya9208]

"I am overwhelmed by the sexy" XD lmao

[@YourMom-jd6jp]

Basically this whole song in a nutshell lol

[@DocTomoe812]

What makes Hunchback a great movie is that they finally got over the "Evil for evil's sake" motive: Frolo ultimately sees himself as a hero, this song is his "I am/I want" song that usually was restricted to hero characters in Disney movies.

[@dwell7315]

That's so true! Nearly every early Disney villain seems to have some awareness of there evil status. Ursula at least knows how she's perceived, Snow's Evil Queen....well, has that title, and Maleficent calls herself the Mistress of all Evil. Frollo is one of the first and best Disney villains who actually tried to justify their actions in a way that frames themselves as in the right

[@liberpolo5540]

DAH, we need more of that...!!!

[@LowReedExpert1]

I love Maleficent in the original, mainly because "pure evil" villains have kinda died out and were replaced with every villain having nuance. Don't get me wrong, it is a much more realistic villain motivation since the evils of history were built on "the greater good", but there's something about a villain like Maleficent slaughtering her minions en masse out of pure anger lol

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

He seems to be aware of his awful actions but pushes that awareness deep down under the veil of delusion.

[@ForbiddenFollyFollower]

@@liberpolo5540 There is too much of that now.

[@oodlemynoodle3753]

This was awesome to watch. Hellfire is my favorite villain song, ever. The writers clearly knew what they were doing and I'm happy to see someone else break it down since I'm a sucker for analyzing songs I like. Keep up the good work! Edit: I am confused as to why this video and comment started getting so much attention about a month ago, but hey, more people seeing how awesome Hunchback is.

[@IanTalksAboutStuff]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@mananimal3644]

Oodle my noodle, For years I have loved this movie. But, no one seems to notice when Frollo lies face down on the cold stone he makes the sight of the Antichrist. I have a friend who was a Disney animator in the 1990’s. He worked on this film doing clean up. He confirms that that was the intention of the director. I find it chilling.

[@victoriansteam1562]

Do you know Jonathan Youngs cover? Cause it's amazing 😍

[@jacthing1]

@@victoriansteam1562 Google translate hellfire anyone?

[@victoriansteam1562]

@@jacthing1 yes 😂

[@MissCaraMint]

I kinda love how they put the fire of passion and the fire of hell side by side in this song. It makes for a very disturbing song.

[@OnyxIdol]

For clergy, the two are closely related.

[@star7communicator434]

I'm 99% sure the notion of changing of Frollo's role from an Archdeacon to a Judge is not just a "Disney thing", but a leftover of the Hays Code. They kind of go hand-in-hand at this point

[@mckenzie.latham91]

The writers of the film have also stated that they thought by making him a judge and or minister of justice, it would give him more leeway and power to do the things he does in the film such as commanding soldiers and burning/persecuting the city in his crusade to find Esmerelda.

[@daniele7989]

@@mckenzie.latham91 True, if he was a deacon he'd be stuck doing the schemey things he did in the book

[@jessthomas3910]

@@mckenzie.latham91 It probably helped to sell it in heavily Catholic countries though... so I'm sure had it been the other way round and they WANTED to make him a Bishop or whatever then they wouldn't have been allowed.

[@mckenzie.latham91]

@@jessthomas3910 Yeah they didn't want to directly offend the church as well, Which is interesting because every religious person I've seen talk about the film has said Frollo is a cautionary tale and or the kind of religious figure that is to be watched out for.

[@MutualSOUL]

Frollo: "I am a pious man. No temptation can stray me from the path of God." Man: "Count Frollo, there is an extra thicc gypsy girl over there with no shoes on." Frollo: *G A S P*

[@iantaakalla8180]

He really is outing himself when he says the crowd is vulgar, weak, and licentious, isn’t he?

[@MsBluewolf1313]

I always took it as Frollo's desire for Esmarelda was a sin, so hellfire possibly harming him was a true fear of his. Because he, in his mind, was no longer without sin. Then about past halfway through is when he realizes, in his mind, he was still just and pure. Hence the strange contradiction.

[@cabpeer5963]

Spot on. Religious men still deal with this weird paradigm today. I've seen it. Imagine being told, from the time you are 12 years old, barely into puberty, that every single sexual thought you have is a sin, is a personal offense to the Creator of the entire Universe, and that you have to spend the rest of your life "battling" "lust". It fucks with a lot of people's heads. It makes them feel dirty and perverted for something that's completely normal. That's definitely something Frollos gone through. "But", they say (by they, I mean, the people who perpetuate this cycle of the shaming of sexual thoughts) "there's a silver lining: it is the responsibility of girls and women to dress modestly so that boys and men will less likely be tempted. See? Mutual responsibility!" (Barf) That's when the toxicity starts to affect females, as we are told that our bodies are sexual, that that is an inherently bad thing, and so we gotta cover up. It creates a very suppressive and self hating cycle, for both males and females. Enter Frollo. Dude's got a lot of immorality and darkness. His desire for Esmerelda is not part of this darkness, yet that is the only "flaw" in himself he sees. It makes him hate himself, but it's also Esmereldas fault (in his mind) because she did not wear a potato sack to help him protect his sexuality. Furthermore, in his mind, she's a witch, she's a gypsy, she's everything he hates. But, alas, she's hot. What to do? Thus, the song. Lol

[@ClassifiedGamez]

I see this as the surface level meaning

[@unknownshorty8699]

Well said

[@portedcannon5653]

A thing to note is that when the guard confronts frollo, from the door is a Heavenly light, and in the Fireplace is a Hell Fire. Frollo’s Prayers are Answerd, but Frollo chooses hell, by turning back to the Hell Fire, and decideding to go after Ezmeralda EDIT: I found this video in my recommended so I watched it, but I remembered the idea listed above, and i went to comment it, but then I realized, I had already watched this video and posted this idea already

[@genesisfunes7551]

True bc the guard said she escaped, so that could've been an out, like well she's gone, his temptation escaped and he can live "righteously" now but instead he turns back and chooses to actively pursue and destroy her

[@xanmontes8715]

"... on the steps of the most famous cathedral in the world." Me, consoling the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela: "It's ok, baby, he didn't mean it..."

[@liberpolo5540]

xD LMAO!

[@thethirdsicily4802]

Me at the Cathedral at Cologne "You'll be fine..."

[@MrsStormtrooper]

Well, at least you guys have cathedrals lol my country didn't even have the middle ages

[@thethirdsicily4802]

@@MrsStormtrooper I'm American myself, we have the D.C Cathedral and Sts. Peter and Paul in Philly and that's really it.

[@MrsStormtrooper]

@@thethirdsicily4802 I'm American too, but from the south of the continent lol

[@FarronMoon]

One of the worst thoughts that come as an end result of this song is the end of Frollo himself. He built that fire, one large enough to engulf Notre Dame, but in his eyes he was right even as he fell into that pyre. You see the resignation on his face as he's descending into the flames very likely not even reflecting on his own actions. "See? She cast me into hellfire, turned me to sin, this wasn't my fault." It wasn't lust that was the sin but Pride and callousness. His worldview just built condemnations and consequences for a feeling he shouldn't have had to be shameful of in the first place. That lack of self-reflection is what lead to his demise.

[@octapusxft]

It makes a great parallel with the evil doers in the real life. Most of them think their actions were justified and that they were good.

[@tomnorton4277]

Frollo wasn't resigned in his final moments. He was horrified. By that point, it was too late for him to save himself. His only hope was Universal Reconciliation and Frollo doesn't seem like the kind of man who believes in that.

[@Projectainavale]

I also would like to point out, during the little break part where he's told Esmerelda had escaped the cathedral, it comes directly after asking for god to let her go or let her choose him. Alongside the guard's face being hidden in shadows. I've seen some theories that the guard wasn't real, and it was part of his song, and by extension literally god saying "hey yo bro let her go dawg." I love this kinda stuff.

[@horrificpleasantry9474]

And he still didn't get the message. Thus be it e'er

[@minim-ms]

Me in the 7th grade: I am just going to attach myself to this song and absolutely not look into the metaphor about struggling with your desires for a woman/women

[@limitlesslizzie]

hellfire is my angry comphet song too dont worry

[@genesisfunes7551]

@ me next time

[@ThirrinDiamond]

Ho nonono this isnt normal struggling with desires. This is when a highly bigoted person realises an individual of a group he loathes is "not as bad" so he wants her to fit his worldview rather than change himself

[@thallium6754]

@@ThirrinDiamond let them live, people who's experiences aren't represented in fiction tend to take relatable content wherever they can get it, i'm sure they know frollo is an asshole.

[@ThirrinDiamond]

@@thallium6754 normally id be all for that if it didnt mean they related to fucking frollo lol We all have our guilty relatingness but someone who literally did eugenics is not ok Or to quote my favourite thing Chris: We all like a bad boy don't we. Other dude, aka iconic king: Yeah, not a fucking terrorist though Chris. There's bad boy and then there's evil

[@helenoanselmoschwertner6405]

I personally interpret this song as Frollo's lust maing his life a living hell and the line of letting esmeralda taste the fires of hell are his wishes for her to suffer the same kind of sexual torment as him.

[@Eveoriginalsinner]

Hm that's an interesting take

[@_anon_does_art_]

I see where you're coming from but his tone seems to be more like 'either she satisfies my desires or she dies', which arguably could be seen as wishing sexual torment on her, but regardless, comparing her to hellfire and then saying how the hellfire is within him seems to be more about blaming her for his lust, than actually comparing his lust to hell. I think.

[@spooniesarah]

He wants her to suffer a physical, fatal torment to complement his sexual torment. Actually that's pretty much what's going on. (Or, rather, one part of it)

[@lolololbanana1829]

@@_anon_does_art_ it was like "Ok... doing an unpure girl is bad, but she hot... but I should kill her... but she hot"...

[@_anon_does_art_]

@@lolololbanana1829 don't let him discover necrophilia or he will Lose It

[@jayt9608]

Darkfire would actually be an accurate description of Hellfire. Jesus repeatedly references "outer darkness, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Jude makes reference to wandering stars who are bound for eternal darkness and that there are fallen angels bound in chains under darkness forever. For these reasons among others, I believe that Frollo's description of Hellfire as Darkfire is apt.

[@horrificpleasantry9474]

@@barley9322 weirdly the guy seems to have lied about his vision but he took great pains to put together citations about what hell is like which actually do work. It's just that "it's appointed for man once to die and after this to face judgment," and no one returns from hell, as Abraham says in the Rich Man and Lazarus story. And the only people to return from paradise are Moses, Elijah, Lazarus, and Samuel, besides Jesus. Special cases. And only Lazarus lived a normal life afterward

[@sophiatalksmusic3588]

Thank you for using the word "Romani" to describe Esmeralda in this video!

[@ixpastel]

@Grunge Girl Romanian gypsies, it's an ethnic class and describes where she's from. Romani would make her from central Europe, probably Spain or Hungary.

[@novastar2141]

It could also be a reference to North Indians according to Google idk

[@dwell7315]

@Grunge Girl basically, they were called Gypsies as essentially a slur, and due to the Romani people's history of being used as slaves and then being treated HORRIBLY as they moved farther west into Europe, always being associated with thievery, sexual looseness, and general "uncivilized" behavior, "Gypsy" became an extraordinarily demeaning term. To call a non-Romani person a Gypsy was to insinuate they were as bad as "those people." It's decently comparable to other racial slurs and should generally be avoided.

[@cabpeer5963]

@@dwell7315 There's a youtuber by the name of Ana Psychology, and her family is from Romania, so she's very familiar with what is and isn't considered offensive. And, according to her, Romani people don't consider the term "gypsy" to be a slur, unless it's said in a condescending way. (Yes, I know that Romanian people and Romani people are not the same, but they live near each other and know each others culture very well, so her word, as a Romanian, is valid, I think)

[@tinymxnticore]

@@cabpeer5963 My family has been to Romania. The relations between Romani and Romanian people are not good there...at all. So that’s sort of like a white American saying which slurs for black people they find offensive.

[@Avdeyy]

I enjoy the small note of "He made the devil so much stronger than a man" with (presumably) saints melting, being gone and away. In my eyes, he's implying she's much stronger than him, or overpowering him, as well with the visuals doing a small possible note of the 'holy' or 'pure' feeling whooshing away from him, be it from his own desire, or her 'tearing' it away from him.

[@jacobherrera4616]

Thats a nice interpretation of this line! Its really fun to read others ideas about the song. This is one od my favorite lines I always thought about it as the devil can commit sin free of guilt. He is not shackled by moral like we are. The devil can indulge in temptation, while men (humans) have to constantly fight our own desires and confront our morals. We know whats is just and what is wrong, yet everyone at some point still do something wrong despite knowing better.

[@Avdeyy]

@@jacobherrera4616 Thats a pretty good look at it too! i think both are very plausible, and fit near perfectly, one for a more purely religious note, and the other a man trying to hold down his disgusting [refering to the person's intentions] urges.

[@horrificpleasantry9474]

Well, the other most famous mention of Satan being stronger than men in a song is in Martin Luther's hymn, A Mighty Fortress. But if you listen to it, the point is that you can't fight Satan yourself because he's stronger than you, you need to depend on Jesus, your mighty fortress. And frollo does not, he takes matters into his own hands

[@moritamikamikara3879]

I think there's also another thing that he kinda contradicts himself with is that by saying how god made the devil so much stronger than him, he's admitting his weakness, he is admitting that he is weak, which is an insult that he placed upon the common people that he claimed himself above.

[@annagarcia2496]

Yes! But also, I think there is another, very interesting layer to this. He says "if in God's plan, HE made the devil so much stronger..." - he is literally blaming GOD. He is trying to shift his fault so far away from him, that he even makes God responsible for making him weak. You know, the ultimate righteous, heavenly good guy. (And I think it makes sense that then and there, he is engulfed by fire)

[@WilliamAhlert]

It’s worth appreciating the fact that almost the entire mass text is sung during the course of the film around when this song happens

[@eccedentesiast2328]

"my fault, my fault, my most grievous fault" and the part he says "Lord have mercy on her, Lord have mercy on me," just goes to show that Frolo understands he has sinned and that he's simply human and that he's asking for forgiveness for what he was about to do. He knew it was wrong but for the sake of self-satisfaction he had to do it.

[@celercka]

5:05 Actually "Mea culpa" means "My sin" and "Mea maxima culpa" means "My biggest sin" which is lust in his case.

[@Ballin4Vengeance]

It’s a part of a catholic prayer. My sin My sin My biggest sin Therefore I pray to ever-blessed Virgin Mary All the angels and all the saints And you, brothers and sisters Pray for me to our Lord God Amen. Or something like this I can’t translate it better

[@celercka]

@@Ballin4Vengeance yes it's from that part and you translated it correctly. I had to memorize latin version.

[@Ballin4Vengeance]

@@celercka We never used it in latin.

[@celercka]

@@Ballin4Vengeance I mean I had to memorize it on my latin lesson. Our latin teacher is obsessed with prayers and songs on latin so we need to memorize them.

[@Ballin4Vengeance]

@@celercka That’s a fuck ton of learning material.

[@johnparinellojr.2035]

Great job, I just wish Disney was still capable of turning out work like this.

[@collegemaster5683]

Scenario: You need to do a project for a grade: you could either work hard for the A+, But then you could laze around and barely do anything and the teacher would still give you the exact same grade. Which would you choose? It'd make logical sense to not waste time and effort for something that if someone who did almost nothing would get the same results. Disney didn't forget how to do good work, they just don't have a reason why they _should_ .

[@xxpandagalaxyxx5655]

They absolutely can, and I'm sure the animators and writers would love to, but corporate doesn't like to take risks, even if it really wouldn't be a hit.

[@jeffreygao3956]

Well Hunchback of Notre Dame wasn't actually that successful initially. The reputation it has as among the greatest Disney films is a recent one.

[@horrificpleasantry9474]

They've run out of classics written by others. The whole Disney Renaissance was just repackaging classic folk tales and novels (or historical legends) with simplified moral messages

[@stormbringer126]

This whole song is golden. Frollo choosing the fire, the nigh-on prayer in the background like they're trying to call him back. The break where someone interrupted him, offering him a way out like he asked, and him turning away from it. It's *chef's kiss*

[@philosopherlogic]

Fun fact: this monologue is actually 9 pages long in the book. Considering they condensed 9 pages into this song is pretty impressive. They captured the monologue pretty well too.

[@ShadowyKatz]

I want to point out that besides blaming Esmeralda for his lust, he also blames God. Esmerlda is, in his eyes, a harbinger of Hell and the Devil, and he's blaming God that she is "stronger" than him, which, wow, I know he's a hypocrite but that is some real deep blasphemy to try and justify himself.

[@horrificpleasantry9474]

"the woman you gave to me gave me fruit from the tree to eat!" "you made the devil so much stronger than a man!" Tale as old as time

[@ravenartistofficial]

I rewatched the movie recently while I was babysitting some kids, they mostly ran around and played rather than sitting and watching the movie(normal toddler behavior). I’m kind of glad tho, because as I was rewatching this childhood favorite I started to notice all the creepy innuendos that sent chills down my spine. Like when she smelled her hair and it hinted at him internally fantasizing about Esmerelda in a sexual way. Not to mention this song bringing his inner feelings out in a much creepier light. Wanting to have control over her, to have her as his and his alone, while insulting her? Definitely abusive/control freak behavior if that wasn’t made clear already. I really didn’t like it when he started rubbing the scarf against his face either, like holy hell that made me uncomfy just to watch.

[@MOMOFCJ6]

nice you have achieved not letting your children watch literally anything from disney

[@moritamikamikara3879]

I wouldn't worry, even if they see it they'll just ignore it not undestanding what it means.

[@bebopangel4211]

I just found your videos, and they're pretty nice! I appreciate the analysis, you're very easy to follow.

[@IanTalksAboutStuff]

Thanks! That's really nice to hear

[@joelhaggis5054]

You see, the fire is a metaphor for fire

[@susanstorm7910]

Tony Jay was an awesome actor and singer. Rip

[@wade9352]

POV: Frollo’s therapist breaks patient-client confidentiality

[@iantaakalla8180]

But only because Frollo is saying he will rape or kill a woman.

[@crazyd0glady295]

I love this song layered with the song heavens light. The comparison between what is lust and what is affection that are both thought to be love. It just beautiful

[@biancathebing6]

Just a little thing I always loved as an art historian: at 0:33, when in the song Frollo is turning away from the window, it’s very slight and very subtle, but he raises his hand in benediction. He has his pinky and ring finger down while his thumb middle and pointer fingers remain up. It’s just another subtle detail that represents how above everyone else he believes himself to be, while also being a symbol asking for guidance from the Virgin Mary to whom he is singing. God I love this movie!❤

[@AdumbroDeus]

Probably one of the most interesting elements is that it's so close to actual purity culture in christianity. Blaming the object of lust is endemic as is pointed out by many sexual violence survivors from that culture, and it often becomes tied up in stereotypes of outgroups such as when Robert Aaron Long attacked Asian massage parlors, specifically blaming asian women for his lust and using that lust as an excuse for violence targeting them. So this is a great and particularly topical song to analyze.

[@horrificpleasantry9474]

Plenty of people teach an appropriate view of personal responsibility, mainly in Reformed churches as far as I've found. They wouldn't self identify as "purity culture," any more than "dress culture," it's just granted. It's usually subcultures that are weak on the Gospel (all of the blame you deserve has fallen on Christ, so there is no room for blaming anyone for any sin -- which is different from a person's responsibility to repent) which tend to fail women either by making them think it's their fault if men lack self control on the one hand, or in the other hand which is just as bad, telling women they have no responsibility to be pure themselves. Of course such language isn't used, but statements like 'it doesn't matter what she's wearing.' self evidently false, like a man wearing "fuck n*g*e*s" on his tshirt walking through the hood can't say "teach gangsters not to murder" after he's been hit in a drive by. Other people are responsible for their own actions but we are all responsible for how we affect them, this is the teaching of 1 Corinthians 8 and 10 which I think you'll find interesting if you're not familiar. The Christian is glorify God, which means direct people's attention to him, and if you're dressing to draw attention/praise/delight from other people to you, then you're not doing that

[@AdumbroDeus]

@@horrificpleasantry9474 when I'm talking about purity culture, I'm talking about things like purity rings and purity balls. It's an apt descriptor within a number of sects, and these are the sects that disproportionately have issues with "forgiving" sexual violence and victim blaming. Speaking of which, words on a t-shirt are expressing an idea. The only way that people could possibly believe that a skimpy outfit somehow contributes to rape is that you believe that a woman being sexual means she wants to be sexual specifically with you, in which case I'll tell you that the answer is no. Being sexual is not an open invitation. Or you believe men can't control themselves when they see attractive women and since cultures that required ankle length dresses still had rape, so the message that conveys is "be modest, so he rapes somebody else". For the former, stop feeling entitled to people. For the latter, society needs to prioritize men learning self control. This is already an important element in Christianity, eg Matthew 5:27-30.

[@horrificpleasantry9474]

@@AdumbroDeus yeah gimmicks and macguffins aren't necessary. And Biblical Christianity is consistent. I don't know what you might be thinking when you say "contributes to rape", so I'm not going to talk past you and miscommunicate. It's simply the case that dressing provocatively flows out of the sin of pride, greed, vanity etc, and reacting with lust is self explanatory in that it's also a sin. Neither side is responsible for the other person's behavior, but they are morally accountable for their intentions/desires and how they've affected other people through their actions. Everybody is accountable to God, not to each other.

[@flavorgod]

Purity Culture is a Protestant things. What is important is living a life of Chastity. Chastity doesn't end when you get married. It's about staying away from sexual sin at all times.

[@naly202]

In the same way, Esmeralda quotes the words of St Mary of Egypt at the beginning of "God help the outcasts". I've no idea if the filmmakers were ever aware of these references, but to me (a student of theology) they are amazingly clear. Probably divine inspiration

[@_anon_does_art_]

Could the song be interpreted perhaps as him trying to address Esmarelda as though she is punishing his sins? Since he has previously murdered a g*psy woman, this song may be him trying to claim that Esmarelda (as an attractive g*psy woman) has come to punish him. In this way, the metaphor of hellfire makes direct sense, and whilst it does serve the purpose of blaming Esmarelda for his attraction, it also suggests that his feelings of desire are some kind of punishment. This might explain why initially the chorus doesn't want to accept this, and why the tone at the start of the song is about affirming piety. To begin with, he simply refers to her as fire in the way that lust often is, and is simply blaming her for being attractive. But then as the chorus starts calling it 'his fault' he begins to realise that maybe his lust is deliberately torturous. Not only is she attractive, but she is attractive in a way that calls to him specifically and his past with g*psy women. Throughout the song, he then fully accepts that Esmarelda (and his attraction to her) is a divine punishment of some kind, this hellfire that is after him for his transgressions. This may be why then, when she excapes, he's so ready to kill her. Suddenly, he believes that this 'punishment' must be overcome, and if he can do that then he can restore his faith to God, and maybe feel as though he has atoned for his sins. Of course he is delusional, but this may explain why he uses hellfire specifically, and why there is such a theme of guilt and piety throughout the song. If he is viewing his lust for Esmarelda as punishment for killing Quasimodo's mother, this metaphor seems a little less entangled. The last line then is not only asking for mercy because he is going to kill her, but also mercy for killing Quasimodo's mother.

[@coitag]

^^^^^

[@AsianDawg46]

My interpretation of 6:37 was that Frollo was being wrapped up in the flames, signifying his subconscious "burning" him with shame for what he was feeling, then the fire is sucked off into the fireplace, representing how his subconscious turns it's attention towards Esmeralda instead, transitioning into the next part of the song.

[@ianrose6218]

I really appreciate the analysis here. It's nice to see people actually delve into what the chanting of the hooded figures actually means, rather than just saying that it sounds aesthetically pleasing. There is one thing I'd like to add though, and it's not on anyone who's only seen the animated Disney film. Hellfire hits differently in the context of the stage musical because Claude has a much more fleshed out backstory. That production included the existence of his orphaned younger brother, Jehan Frollo, who lost his home at Notre Dame and his health (specifically to "pox") all over a tryst with a Romani woman. Claude even says that the wicked shall not go unpunished when Jehan gives him a disfigured child and asks him to take care of them. That's a pretty damning condemnation of his own brother over the fact that Jehan gave his life up for a woman who was a "taboo" for truly righteous people. Now Frollo feels the same thing Jehan must have. He's forced to confront that not only is he fallible as a mortal man, he's also potentially starting down the same path that ruined his brother's life. He knows that he thought Jehan was punished by God, therefore he will burn in hellfire just as he believed his brother would. The lust itself exists, but the "fire burning in his skin" is his anxiety and fear over what judgment will be passed on him for his feelings, rather than specifically referring to the lust itself. The fear of this is echoed in his subconscious chanting parts of the Confiteor while he actively denies that he was responsible for his own thoughts. For the time being, shifting blame onto Esmeralda is how he avoids his shame. Then his paradigm completely shifts, and the only way he can resolve what he's feeling is to marry Esmeralda (thus avoiding the tryst aspect) and supposedly justifying their intimacy - OR - killing her and freeing himself of her "magical influence" over his mind, which could never have possibly succumbed to lust for a "gypsy" so easily.

[@lizziedoesthings1450]

Schaffrillas productions made a video on how the Disney movie Frollo was "too evil" and why he preferred the Frollo in the musical. his main point was that his lust and rage develop and this song makes way more sense when Frollo hadn't already showcased horrible treatment of others.

[@mckenzie.latham91]

The animated film makes it very clear from the beginning that Frollo sees himself as morally righteous and incorruptible despite seeing corruption and darkness in everyone and everything else “Judge Claude Frollo longed to purge the word of Vice and sin, and he saw corruption everywhere, except, within,” --Clopin, “intro song: Bells of Notre Dame” Hence why the song of Hellfire is a reflection of him realizing that he isn’t morally stronger or totally pious but being unable to cope with that idea he blames the gypsy girl and the world while all the while knowing he is wrong and giving into sin. He convinces himself that he is the one in the right and the girl will either be his, or she will burn and rid him of temptation and desire altogether. Schaffrillas is making a choice of what character he likes more, not which character is better. He first calls Frollo too evil, but never really explains if he thinks that makes frollo unrealistic or just too evil for him to get behind either of which is meaningless since frollo is actually the most realistic villain, from overuse of power, racism, lust, persecution of romani and others etc. is all historically accurate to many powerful people, authority figures and administrator in europe during this age and time. Second, is to show how Follo views the world and what his true nature is compared to the other main character Quasimodo, contrasting the two characters as a way of showing and reinforcing the lesson of what makes a monster and what makes a man, and who we are isn’t always determined by how we look, act and or our social status.

[@lizziedoesthings1450]

@@mckenzie.latham91 mhm, It's very interesting to consider both what is realistic/historically accurate and what seems best story-wise. There are a lot of possibilities and honestly, at least for me, both Frollos are both very intriguing takes on a complex villain. The contrast between him and quasimodo is highlighted in the animated film as you said, which was a good choice. I think both versions of the character suit their respective "stages" quite well. Seeing a gradual buildup in the musical helps portray his "fall from righteousness" as it were, though the framing can also cause the audience to empathize with him, which is a different matter altogether that I'm not quite sure how I feel about yet.

[@mckenzie.latham91]

@@lizziedoesthings1450 The Frollo from the book and music might have more sympathy from the audience but i don't think follo from the animated film gets sympathy, nor does he deserve it. If anything Hellfire serves as the character song to show us that while Follow does have the ability to understand he is wrong (The hooded judges and figures sing Mea culpa, “my fault” in latin) He is unable to accept responsibility and or admit it out loud and that his obsession and desire conflicting with his piousness and moral superiority/ego has caused him to go mad. The frollo from the book and musical gradually falls under the temptation of his lust and desires as it slowly consumes him as well which is why he might have more sympathy but we don’t always have to sympathize with our villain for them to be interesting and or for us to understand them and that’s my main disagreement with scharfrilla’s video, he’s making the point that the musical/book Frollo may be better because he’s more sympathetic and that his corruption is more of a tragedy but that’s just character preference, as you said both versions of the character are unique and or interesting in their own way and purpose.

[@lizziedoesthings1450]

@@mckenzie.latham91 mhm, I forgot whether he framed it as his personal opinion or as a fact with his details. but yeah sympathy for a villain definitely isn't necessary and the animated Frollo's sense of self-righteousness that persists even as he discovers wrong in himself is honestly just fascinating, especially when you consider that a similar mindset pervades people's thoughts about themselves even today.

[@thenablade858]

The fact that you misspelled Frollo thrice now makes me associate this song with the hobbit

[@CyberWarezz05]

What I love about this song and especially the music video, is Frollo's vulnerability at 6:34.You can clearly see on his face that he doesn't want anything that is happening to him and tries desperately to justify his lust, blaming it on witchcraft and even the Devil.

[@ihavelemonade5640]

6:34

[@EverLearningDragon]

So glad KZbin recommended this video. I’d love to listen to more analysis of Hunchback, both the songs individually and the movie as a whole. This song was actually the first moment realized I wasn’t straight. Having been raised Catholic the imagery and the conflicted feelings resonated unexpectedly in me. After that I found it impossible to lie to myself that the feelings I had were just how “besties” felt.

[@chaosqueenofhell1537]

If I'm being honest this song makes me laugh even more as an adult than as a child because I understand now exactly what Frollo means I just can't help it honestly

[@lilenwasnothere6867]

it's more terrifying to me as an adult because men like frollo, who have that "if i can't have her, no one will" mentality still exist and still think the same way. it's honestly scary.

[@chaosqueenofhell1537]

That's true enough, he sounds very yandere

[@zeewezel]

Great video! It wad a joy to watch and gave me insights I didn't have before. The little comics are also effective imo and they're quite funny too!

[@IanTalksAboutStuff]

Thanks! That's all nice to hear, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@erinmacdonald4555]

The cinematography in this really emphasises the lyrics of the song. When Frollo is interrupted, it is by a guard, shrouded in white light whilst Frollo stands in front of the fire. A lot of people say that the gaurd is outlined by Heavens Light, and is the help that he had begged Maria for. Yet he not only refuses to let Esmarelda go and thus stop his feelings, he scorns the guard, turning against the help he begged for and degrading it. Also, the part where he throws the scarf into the fire is very interesting. The angle at which the audience faces Frollo makes it look as if his arm is also in the fire, which I think symbolises that his condemnation of Esmarealda is also his own condemnation. By wishing Esmarelda to 'taste the fires of Hell', he is also setting himself on the same path, he is throwing himself into the fire that he before thought was thrust upon him, but now he is willingly traversing through it in order to have even a small chance of gaining Emareldas favour.

[@RedFloyd469]

I wanted to add a bit of context to what you were saying concerning Frollo's hatred of the "common and vulgar". If we use the book as a point of reference, that revulsion is actually entirely justified. In the Disney film, the Parisian people are portrayed as playful and teasing at the worst of times, merciful and compassionate at the best of times. However, in the book, the Parisian people, especially the common folk, are truly repulsive. It's not so much that they are "poor" or "smell bad", it's simply that the parisians (and as a matter of fact, basically every single human being in the book, including Esmeralda) is filled with vice, making the life of a virtuous man virtually impossible. To add to Frollo's character, he was in fact one of the only few characters in the book to actually show genuine affection, compassion and kindness, the only other characters being Quasi-modo and Esmeralda's hermit mother (who falsely believes her child was kidnapped by gypsies and sacrificed in a ritual to satan.) Esmeralda herself is more akin to a hopelessly naïve teen girl who makes impulsive decisions that lead to her own downfall. The Parisians (and the gypsies) on the other hand, are basically the worst that humanity has to offer. In the book, Frollo is the one who shows MERCY to Quasimodo when he was a child. The people of paris wanted to kill the child, thinking his hideous visage was a sign of the devil. Frollo, whose parents had died in a fire and who has had to raise his infant brother on his own, extended his kindness to the child and took him in as his own. Frollo is shown to have an almost irrational capacity for genuine human kindness at times. The true issue, in the book, is that Frollo is an obsessive character. He obsessed over his law studies when other students were out having fun. He obsessed over his church in the career when he found a new inspiration in god, he obsessively wanted to raise his infant brother to be a good citizen (and failed to do so, because he was too doting and spoiled Jehan, his brother, instead.), he was overcome with compassion upon seeing the vicious crowd wanting to murder a child, and for a while obsessed over raising quasimodo. Before meeting Esmeralda, he was obsessed with finding the alchemical formula for gold, and his fatal obsession would be Esmeralda. Really, his character is very tragic, and it seems as if every new obsession also meant the death of his care for his previous ones. He jumps from radical focus to another radical focus. (In the climax of the book, he is overcome with so much anguish that he gets a serious fever and roams the country-side like a madman before coming to his senses.) Meanwhile, the commoners enjoy the sight of hangings and torture, openly mock and berate quasimodo, are willing to murder, rob and harm innocents for a laugh, show no respect for people of intellect and authority, and are portrayed to care ONLY for basic entertainment, no matter the cost. They are shown to one moment demand "righteous" retribution and the death of Esmeralda, and upon Quasimodo's rescue of the gypsy girl, cheer him on. To them, it's just spectacle, and nothing more. The people love to gossip, mock the poor and the rich alike, and genuinely enjoy seeing people die or be tortured for the least of crimes. It should also be added that the Gypsies are not portrayed as especially diabolical, or especially innocent, in comparison to the rest of Paris' citizens. One of the gypsy mothers left quasimodo in the centre of the town, and kidnapped Esmeralda when she was a baby as a replacement. In other words, they're just as cruel as the commoners. It's understandable that a man like Frollo, who obsessed over virtue and had a great deal of compassion for the innocent in his youth, would eventually come to despise the common people, as they basically represented vice itself. He was always going to meet his eventual downfall and madness, but he was never as arrogant as he is portrayed in the disney film. His revulsion is entirely justified.

[@MOMOFCJ6]

oh yeah totally

[@mcmptn]

I always thought he called her a witch because it rhymes with another word, but Disney didn't want to lose its kid friendly rating. Your explanation makes more sense though. I also wonder if perhaps Frollo is completely bewildered in the first chorus. If the fires of Hell are to punish bad people and he knows he's a righteous man, why is he feeling Hellfire? Any Catholics in the comment section can confirm or deny this, but I think Mary is supposed to be the patron saint of children, women, and the poor, so Frollo probably picked the wrong person to ask, "Can I kill or rape this young woman who doesn't have high social status?" One thing I always wondered: What's the meaning of "is turning me to sin"? Turn could mean either "to start traveling in another direction," like "Turn left at the corner," or it could mean "to cause to rethink interest," such as "These sparkling waters are turning me from soda," or it could mean "to transform into," like "The money has turned to dust." Is Frollo's lust turning him from righteous to sin (in his mind, that is; we all know he left the path of righteousness a long time ago) or is it causing sin to become an interest to him or is it turning him into the personification of sin itself, much like the devil? Finally, does anyone find it interesting that Quasi and Frollo are both reacting to seeing Esmeralda, but one sings about the light of Heaven while the other sings about the fires of Hell? Not that this says anything about the state of their respective souls or anything, right? In case you can't tell, this comment is meant as a compliment. It means you did a good job making me think; it's not an attempt to sabotage your work or anything. Besides, your animated stick figures were great. I actually laughed aloud a couple times.

[@Ballin4Vengeance]

It was probably below his level to cuss anyways

[@mcmptn]

@@Ballin4Vengeance True. He thinks he's purer than the vulgar crowd, so he has to insult without swearing.

[@EB5279]

Mary is considered the mother of all Christians because she was the mother of Christ, and Christians are all considered brothers and sisters in/with Christ, thereby making her mother. So she definitely would be the wrong person to ask for leniency with rape and what have you. The "turning me to sin" would be along the lines of the fact that sin is considered to be turning off the path towards Christ. Essentially the theology is that sin is a rejection of Christ and the natural moral law, and therefore when one is going towards a particular sin they are in essence turning away from Christ. So his lusts are turning him away from the path towards Christ (not that I think he would be on it, as Catholic theology also states that those who are in positions of authority have a higher degree of judgement and if they are proud in the sense that he is, they are to fall to lower depths in hell because they abused their authority on earth) and towards the path that leads to hell.

[@mcmptn]

@@EB5279 Thank you for sharing your insight. This really shows deeper layers of the song.

[@yashvibhardwaj9608]

This was super enlighening, thanks for this comment

[@moonstonepearl21]

This is such an amazing detailed, in depth analysis of such a layered moment in the story. The amount of time and effort you put into thinking about this is great. You made so many good points. I love how they had his subconscious confessing his guilt while he was denying it on the surface level in a bit of a child-like way. The way he was saying "It's not my fault." was very childish and even a bit winy sounding, except when an adult is saying that it can be a lot more dangerous, as we saw here. When people are stressed, they can revert back into childish mannerisms. It's interesting to think about why he reverted a bit there. Some of it could be he was going through an internal crisis. It could also be how when he was a child, he never learned how to accept responsibility for his actions , and that childhood issue came out as an adult in a really horrible way. This could have happened due to several situations. He could have simply been raised to think he was superior to others for being a noble and a Christian. Maybe for having whatever general belief system he was raised in as well. Another possibility could have been that the people around him were so horrible that he was actually the better person there but that situation eventually caused that defense mechanism/valid point to distort into something really horrible. Granted a ton of things would have to go wrong in someone's childhood for this to happen, but those are just some ideas I had of how he could have gotten to this point. General societal attitudes of the time didn't help either. Also I really enjoyed your little stick figure animations. I think they are very humorous. Your sense of humor was a fun little addition to the serious discussion.

[@clockworkkirlia7475]

This is really interesting! His inherently contradictory attitudes are really well reflected in the song; he might not be so much _confused_ as directly engaging with the cognitive dissonance and leaving reason at the door. Unfortunately, one of the more realistic villainous portrayals that Disney's given us.

[@Jman0163]

I think Frollo's reference to her beauty as hellfire is (as you suggested) supposed to represent his underlying fear of the punishment he is dooming himself to with his lust and envy.

[@mzfreddie]

The meaning of this first flew over my head as kid. When I watched it as an adult I basically took it as a song version of "She was attractive and therefore was asking for it. It's not my fault, it's hers. I'm gonna make her pay."

[@biglion3179]

A bizzare testament to how well made this video was is that I remembered it 2 years since I've watched it for the first time, so I'm watching it again.

[@michigangarnet3804]

I always took the part with Frollo relating Esmeralda’s beauty to Hellfire is more of him relating his guilt as hellfire, his punishment for his lust

[@literalghost]

It's also interesting that the only time that he directly invokes Esmeralda's name is when he is pleading with higher forces to strike her down, and there's a lot to be said for the power that comes with names in that context, too. Naming her directly, and the fact that he only speaks her name when it is in the highest of forms of contempt makes it much more of a loaded, violent line than if he said "destroy her" or "destroy this witch".

[@wriewygs7022]

This movie is an absolute masterpiece, ahead of its time in almost every way. Pair this with the song before it, Heaven's Light, and Quasimodo's equation of divine favor, happiness, and self worth with romantic love, (which perspective is later rejected by the end of the movie, showing that it is love in general, not necessarily romantic love, that is needed for happiness and healing,) and you have a beautiful panorama of topics to explore about what romantic love is and what romantic love isn't. Romantic love isn't pure lust. It is also not something that will save you from your own struggles or issues. And, perhaps most importantly, you don't have to have someone desire you romantically to be worth something and deserve love.

[@thunderfyrekinggaming2243]

It’s a film

[@oldmanartist4655]

you're forgetting one thing: the break in the song when the solder comes in is suppose to be god offering him one last chance to back away by letting her go.

[@justyouraveragejoe9454]

I kinda like the theory that the guard interrupting was direct divine intervention. Frollo is praying that God will take Esmerelda away or let her love him, and he's immediately told that she's escaped.

[@glowingforthe1654]

I was obsessed with this song while dealing with my own sexuality and partial transitioning and IRONICALLY it really helped me , because the feelings did feel like fire. And having overly religious parents made the emotions feel as though they were not mine?? In a weird sense. But it also allowed me to say a big screw you to pious individuals in my life

[@karlazeen]

Hell yeah

[@AcidenteVascularCerebral]

this song hits different when you're not straight

[@doctortalisman9861]

this is partly why the annapantsu cover hits so hard tbh lol

[@thunderfyrekinggaming2243]

So are you straight the only real sexuality / gender

[@glowingforthe1654]

@@thunderfyrekinggaming2243 sO aRe YoU sTrAiGhT

[@glanni]

I always thought that the metaphors were also him wanting to give Esmeralda 'a taste of her own medicine' so to speak. In his mind, she burned him with his lust, and that's why he wants to burn her back with religious extremism.

[@sidjohnson9413]

About him using the term “dark fire”, in Paradise Lost, Milton describes hellfire as pitch black, with a multitude of sparks flying from it that are colored the traditional fire colors, so that could be what he’s referring to. Also an interesting contradiction in a faith that sees light as good and dark as bad though, and might even be points towards the theory that milton was on Lucifer’s side.

[@horrificpleasantry9474]

Milton very clearly communicates that Satan is the bad guy, he's just showing an authentic representation of how he deceives people

[@mocchikkidraws]

The story here is that Frollo falls madly in love with Esmeralda that he killed her parents then forced him to marry her. This was based on the Notre Dame of Hunchback from a literature we studied back then-

[@croissantelf]

“From an old hag to Emma Watson” Me, a Harry Potter fan: *silently slides away*

[@baronofbahlingen9662]

The hellfire does punish the wicked in this song. He is admitting subconsciously he his wicked and thus deserves the turmoil and “punishment” he is experiencing. That’s how I think you can reconcile the conflicting metaphors logically.

[@glanni]

Exactly, and that's what makes him a hypocrite, which is actually his greatest fault.

[@leonmercury3732]

A thing I also like is that the figures that show up near the end are like an inquisition. And then their shadows flow upwards like a flame, and so it's like Frollo's being burned by the hellfire, already being punished for deciding he'd either have esmerelda or kill her.

[@cxunqswaps]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!! I LOVE THIS SONG BUT I DON'T KNOW THE MEANING, NOW I DO BECAUSE OF YOU!.

[@IanTalksAboutStuff]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video.

[@ChickenRikmah]

bruh Esmerelda is like 16 in the movie and Frollo is 56 years old and Phoebus is 31 years old they are both too old for her

[@MrsStormtrooper]

Good ol antiquity, you should see the real Pocahontas

[@vitoriadias7990]

She's 16 in the books, Disney made her a bit older in the movie, like 19 or something.

[@thunderfyrekinggaming2243]

Frollo is actually 38 but that’s still like 9 years too old to date esmeralda

[@thunderfyrekinggaming2243]

Phoebus is only 7.5 years too old

[@vitoriadias7990]

@@thunderfyrekinggaming2243 He's 38 in the book. In the movie it's never said, but he already looks at least 40 in the prologue which takes place 20 years before the main story. xD

[@adamzheng4362]

I only listen to Annapantsu's cover of this song, so when I heard the original it was a huge shock.

[@sammysprivatecorner]

The way I audibly wheezed at 2:55 "I am overwhelmed by the Sexy, therefore it must be bad" XD

[@urahara64360]

Definitely an interesting read of this song. I personally think that the "hellfire" metaphor is meant to be more of an association with guilt.

[@allisonstarr6074]

I’m a Catholic and also relatively well-versed in musical metaphors, but you gave me some new insights. Great work!

[@eilzmo]

I’ve always thought this was one of the best songs Disney ever dared to put in a kids’ film. I think it might be my favourite. It’s just so dark and beautiful and human. They’re literally addressing denial/repression and what it can do to a person which, to me anyway, is a huge deal. Your break down and analysis was awesome, new sub earned man.

[@torenchao]

ngl the animation of Esmerelda looks SO COOL!!!! as someone who does animation, mad respect to the animators of making it so smooth and not getting confused with the colours lmao

[@oceanwatersea]

Everytime Frollo just flops to the floor when the song ends kills me everytime

[@canolathra6865]

I would have liked to see the contrast between the lines of the Confiteor and the first lines of the song explored more deeply. Since we know it is his subconscious, you can see that, even at the beginning of his song, his subconscious is outright refuting everything he is saying.

[@hpdanfan14]

This video was soooo satisfying, thank you! I had just listened to this song again before I found your video. Great work! You answered some questions I didn’t even think of asking! (Like the Latin phrases). Something I got out of the song too, was how the music reflected his shifting emotions- especially at the part where he was begging the Virgin Mary to protect him. The chorus under that part was more uplifting rather than ominous. I thought that perhaps that signified the moment he was more human than monster. Because immediately afterward, when he shifts again to “Destroy Esmeralda”, you can subtly hear that chorus in the background die down after that. What are your thoughts?

[@IanTalksAboutStuff]

I could see that. He's definitely more sympathetic when he flirts with self awareness instead of just raging away. I'd be interested to look at the score for the orchestral background and see if it was doing anything particularly different during the more "uplifting" parts.

[@TheKnowledgeMan101]

Its always interesting that fire was used because the phrase of being on fire, was a common metaphor of describing lust in the bible. Like how Paul in 1 Corinthians 7 talked about how it is better to marry than to "burn" or how the prophet Isaiah referred to people who "inflamed" themselves with idols, which is a reference to ritual sex, which was common in pagan rituals

[@littleteeny]

This man has always made my skin crawl from childhood to this day and I never used to understand why and now I do as an adult which is why he is one of the best villains

[@Brony459]

My favorite song from my all time favorite Disney movie and I enjoy the in depth analysts.

[@sophieyounger3682]

Frollo was the OG yandere

[@thunderfyrekinggaming2243]

Yes because this is believe it or not an anime

[@morganhoch4538]

4:18 ... haha outline of a coffin... nice one Disney

[@DCTR-qv6jd]

I really got to rewatch some of these movies now that I'm older and understand more....

[@thunderfyrekinggaming2243]

It’s a film not a movie

[@moonrose100]

HellFire the thirstiest song in Disney lmao

[@rebbeca5967]

I also looked at the line "Hellfire Dark fire" As the common view of hell as a dark and evil place. He sees Hellfire as a dark thing. Another possible meaning I find is that the hellfire is now dark as he associates it with her (or maybe because she called it upon him).

[@craftchild_9151]

I swear people like you make me understand exactly what my art history teachers expect, because they sure don’t tell us outright. 😅😂 thank you. 💕👍🏻

[@comegetyourb]

This is my favorite part in any Disney movie ever. It's dramatic, deep, meaningful and shows how much Frollo himself feels guilty for being sexually attracted to Esmeralda. And I also love how this song shows this feeling of denial, confusion, guilt, (And most importantly, The fear of Hellfire), which are some of the feelings many of us might experience facing a desire, or an act or feeling, we have always believe is wrong, or sinful. (Including sexuality which has always been a matter of discussion) Also, In my opinion, Frollo is the best villain Disney has ever made. He isn't just some evil person who might be fighting for wealth or power, who knows is evil and enjoys it. (Like most villians are.) He believes he is a good person, and doesn't do any wrong (which is something realistic since most people who do many bad things don't believe their acts are wrong).