Esmeralda/Relationships

The relationships of Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Phoebus
Phoebus was first introduced to Esmeralda at the Feast of Fools, where her alluring performance immediately caught his attention. After saving Quasimodo from the cruelty of Frollo and the people of Paris, Esmeralda sought refuge in the Notre Dame cathedral. Phoebus took the opportunity to greet the gypsy, though their first interactions were rather rough, as she found herself untrusting towards a member of Frollo's army. Nevertheless, Phoebus proves he's merely seeking friendship, as opposed to her freedom, earning a modest token of gratitude before Frollo arrives and spoils the moment.

Later on, after seeing Phoebus betray Frollo and his laws in exchange for the lives of innocent Paris citizens, Esmeralda begins to warm up to the now former soldier, and eventually saves his life from an attacking Frollo and his guards. That same night, after bringing him to Notre Dame to recover from the attack, Esmeralda and Phoebus share a soft conversation, and soon find themselves falling in love, sealing their mutual romantic attraction with a loving kiss. Following the events of the film, the two apparently marry, and give birth to a seven-year-old boy named Zephyr.

Zephyr
Esmeralda and her son, Zephyr, love each other very much.

Quasimodo
Ever since they first met, Esmeralda and Quasimodo have had a great and strong friendship. She helps Quasimodo when he is being publicly humiliated at the Festival of Fools because of his unattractive looks, which leads to Quasimodo developing strong romantic affections for her to which she is unaware. After singing "God Help the Outcast", she was terrified to see Quasimodo being scared away by a selfish parishioner who mistook him causing trouble. Quasimodo, in turn, helps Esmeralda secretly escape the cathedral and later bravely saves her from being burned at the stake, and weeps over her when he believes she is dead. During their fight with Frollo, Esmeralda is nearly killed by Frollo because she will not let Quasimodo fall to his death. It is shown that in the second film, whenever Quasimodo had problems, he usually turned to Esmeralda for advice.

Archdeacon
Esmeralda first met the Archdeacon when Frollo ordered Phoebus to arrest her and Phoebus refused. The Archdeacon was on her back, ordering Frollo and the soldiers out of the church. Frollo stays behind long enough to warn her that she can only stay inside for so long and proceeded to station guards at every door, forcing Esmeralda to rethink her exit strategy. The Archdeacon counseled her against antagonizing Frollo further and reminded her that she could not right all the wrongs in the world on her own. At his suggestion, she offers a heartfelt prayer to God to help her and her people. It is unknown if she saw him again after that.

Sora
Although both characters interact with each other just a few times, the Keyblade wielder is shown to be really good friends with the gypsy girl, as he really cares about her. This is shown many times in the game. For example, when he thanks her for helping him in saving Quasimodo from the Monsters, when Phoebus tells him and Quasimodo that Frollo is just about to exterminate her and the other gypsies by attacking their hideout and when he prepares to fight Frollo in order to free the girl from being burned at the stake. As he fails to perform this latter task, Sora is clearly worried when he returns to the square and sees Esmeralda almost burned, until Quasimodo saves her. Frollo, enraged, goes into Notre Dame to kill them both. Sora, again, tries to stop him, only to be attacked by Wargoyle. After the fight, he is very happy to see Esmeralda, Quasimodo and Phoebus safe.

Riku
Esmeralda and Riku's friendship can be first noticed when he stands up for her, as she was being chased by Frollo and Phoebus. Riku tells the captain he didn't see any gypsy (girl) around. Not knowing what gypsies are, Esmeralda tells him their (and hers) story and about Frollo's darkness, which picks Riku's curiosity. When the boy asked her to tell him more about the villain's evil nature, she suggests him to take a look in the church, as it is said to be a place for answers. Later, when Paris is being burned by Frollo and after Quasimodo saves Esmeralda from her execution, the young Keyblade wielder asks him if she's going to be all right. When she barely assures him she will, Riku smiles. After Frollo's death, Esmeralda gives Riku some advices upon how to deal with something you don't know exactly what it is or how it works (Riku's darkness).

Judge Claude Frollo
Claude Frollo is Esmeralda's archenemy and was a serious threat to her life. Despite his power and authority, she was not afraid of him. Not only was she even brave enough to publicly humiliate and insult him at the Festival of Fools (also intriguing him a bit as well), she even had the courage to spit in his face before her attempted execution. Of note, when Esmeralda and Frollo first meet, she playfully brings his face close to hers and kisses the tip of his nose before pulling his hat down. This, however, leads to Frollo becoming unhealthily obsessed with her, becoming the first link in the chain that leads to Frollo's demise.

Brutish and Oafish Guard
They were two of Esmeralda's worst enemies. She first encountered them when they attempted to rob her and possibly arrest her as well, only to be foiled by Phoebus, who rescued her.

Sarousch
Sarousch was another enemy of Esmeralda, and a great threat to her family.