Esmeralda

Personality

Esmeralda is shown to be eloquent, street-wise, cunning, positive, moral, intelligent and verbally powerful. She was the sole individual in all of Paris to outright rebel against Frollo during his reign and was openly against the judge's accusations that the Roma were a gang of thieves who engaged in unholy practices of witchcraft. Due to this, she was often the target of arrest, but was able to outsmart and and evade Frollo's grasp time and time again, despite the odds against her. This would only exacerbate Frollo's tyranny, but Esmeralda was not one to sacrifice her freedom to placate Frollo. Even when she was finally captured, and seconds away from death, she remained fiercely defiant, knowing her worth, and refusing to degrade herself by surrendering to Frollo.

Aside from this fiery nature, Esmeralda is ultimately a kind, loving, selfless soul. She was the first human in the film to ever show direct kindness to the deformed and naïve Quasimodo. While Frollo and the rest of Paris viewed him as a monster, based on his appearance, Esmeralda felt otherwise, in spite of the initial shock in response to his appearance. Instead, she treated him as an average person, though with even more patience and kindness, due to his innocent, gentle, and selfless nature—so much so, that her actions were mistaken by Quasimodo for romantic affections. However, Esmeralda's love towards Quasimodo was strictly platonic, proving that forms of deep love and care don't always have to relate to romance. She instead developed romantic feelings for Phoebus. The reason she chose Phoebus over Quasimodo was not that Quasimodo was deformed, but because Quasimodo hadn't fully matured, and his blind adulation for her may have led to him becoming overly reliant on her.

Though she seems to be a sultry and free-spirited person, the song "God Help the Outcasts" shows that Esmeralda cares about God and religion, as she turns to God in prayer at one point, praying for justice for the less fortunate and downtrodden. However, Esmeralda is not a fanatic, as Frollo is. She does not descend into a personal crisis when falling in love with Phoebus. She starts her prayer in the cathedral with, "I don't know if You can hear me, or if You're even there", referring to God, showing that she is not totally convinced of His existence or presence, but still hopes to be heard, nevertheless.

Physical appearance

Esmeralda is a young Romani woman with a curvy figure, medium brown skin, long raven-black hair, and striking emerald green eyes (in fact, a possible reason for her name in this adaptation is that "Esmeralda" is the Spanish and Portuguese word for "emerald"). She is designed to be striking, erotic, exotic, and beautiful, as Phoebus, Quasimodo, and Frollo are all three immediately attracted to her. Her hair is tied back with a pink ribbon. Esmeralda wears a white top with a teal and gold bodice, along with a purple sarong, lavender outer skirt and white petticoat. She is often barefoot in the first film (but wears black flats in the sequel), and wears a golden hoop earring on her left ear, a golden bangle on her left wrist, and matching bracelet and anklet on both her right hand and right ankle. Esmeralda is also well-known as the finest and most desirable girl in France. She is specified to be in her early twenties