Beauty without Wisdom from Esmeralda: Another Dimension under the Principle of Comparing Beauty and Ugliness in Notre Dame de Paris

Abstract

In the French literary giant Hugo's work Notre Dame de Paris, Esmeralda is a prominent female protagonist who has also left an important mark in literary history. Her stunning appearance and pure, lovely heart deeply attracted the male protagonists Quasimodo, archdeacon Claude, and captain of the guard Fibbs. However, there is a soul deficiency in the body of this beautiful woman, that is, beauty without wisdom. This made her unable to distinguish good from evil, to see the beautiful soul beneath Quasimodo's ugly exterior, and to see the frivolity beneath Fibbs's handsome face. The soul deficiency represented by Esmeralda's unintelligent beauty makes Quasimodo's sincere devotion to her become an illusion. This, coupled with her death at the end, gives the readers a sense of great tragic emptiness.