Captain Phoebus
| Captain Phoebus | |
|---|---|
| The Hunchback of Notre-Dame character | |
| Created by | Victor Hugo |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Captain of the King's Guard |
| Title | Captain |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Nationality | French |
Capitaine Phoebus de Châteaupers [fibys də ʃatopɛːʁ] is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. He is the Captain of the King's Archers. His name comes from Phoebus, the Greek god of the sun (also called Apollo).
In the original novel, Phoebus is an antagonist. Despite being of noble birth and very handsome, he is also vain, untrustworthy, and a womanizer. He saves Esmeralda from Quasimodo and she falls in love with him. Phoebus makes a convincing show of returning her affections, but merely wants a night of passion. Esmeralda arranges to meet Phoebus and tells him of her love for him, and he convinces her that he feels the same way about her. He is in fact engaged to his cousin, Fleur-de-Lys de Gondelaurier who is a spiteful socialite and jealous of Esmeralda's beauty. Not only that, he has agreed to let Claude Frollo spy on his meeting with Esmeralda.
This decision proves his undoing, since as the couple prepare to have sex, the jealous Frollo attacks Phoebus by stabbing him in the back. Frollo makes a quick get-away and Phoebus is presumed dead by homicide. Esmeralda, being the only one present, is presumed to be the killer. Phoebus, however, is not dead and soon recovers from his injury. But this does not stop Esmeralda from being tried and sentenced to death for his murder. Phoebus could have proven her innocence, but he remained silent. In the end of the novel, he marries Fleur-de-Lys, and watches Esmeralda's execution with apparently little or no remorse. Whilst being one of the few characters to survive in the novel, Hugo implies that his marriage will not be a romantic or happy one.
In the animated Disney version, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Phoebus is voiced by Kevin Kline and serves a supporting protagonist. He returns to Paris to be Captain of the Guard under Judge Claude Frollo because his predecessor was a "bit of a disappointment" to Frollo, though he harbors a great dislike towards Frollo for his harsh methods, and displays a sympathy towards the downtrodden and poor, shown when he steps in to stop two of Frollo's thugs from arresting Esmeralda for stealing money (which was honestly obtained), and requests to stop the citizens from torturing Quasimodo at the Festival of Fools. Midway through the film, as Frollo descends into a homicidal madness and burns down almost half the city in his ruthless manhunt for Esmeralda, Phoebus finally rebels against Frollo and is almost killed, but is rescued by Esmeralda, who takes him to Notre Dame and leaves him in Quasimodo's care. Despite Quasimodo distrusting him, he and Phoebus join forces to find the Court of Miracles, the gypsy hideout, before Frollo attacks but they are too late and all are captured. In the climactic battle, Phoebus rallies the French citizens to fight against Frollo's thugs and liberate their city. He pursues Frollo into the cathedral and witnesses both Frollo and Quasimodo fall from the balcony, catching Quasimodo in time to save his life. In the aftermath, Quasimodo finally accepts Phoebus as a good friend and blesses his romance with Esmeralda, to the couple's delight.
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