Esmeralda- The Hunchback of Notre-Dame she’s the central character in Victor Hugo’s Novel The Hunchback of Notre- Dame Esmeralda is a young beautiful Romani girl with dark hair and striking green eyes. Esmeralda is known for captivating beauty, kindness, and compassion.

She earns a living as a street performer, often dancing in the streets of Paris with her goat Djali. Despite her rough life, Esmeralda has a pure heart and a strong sense of Justice, often helping those in need. Her beauty and charm has attracted the attention of several men including the deformed bell- ringer Quasimodo, the archdeacon Claude Frollo, the soldier Phoebus, has a reputation as a shameless womanizer. However Esmeralda’s story is tragic, as she becomes the target of Frollo’s obsessive lust, leading to a series of events that ultimately would seal her fate.

Christine and Esmeralda are Iconic characters whose vulnerability becomes the target of several creepy, delusional, and dangerous men. Esmeralda with her beauty and kindness becomes the object of obsession for multiple men in Paris Claude Frollo, the archdeacon, is particularly dangerous. His repressed desires and fanatical nature will drive him to torment Esmeralda, manipulating her circumstances in a cruel ways. Thought Quasimodo, the deformed bell- ringer, also loves her, his feelings are more complex, and rooted in admiration and a desire to protect, though he also too is drawn to her beauty.

Christine Daae, the young and talented singer in the phantom of the opera, similarly finds herself caught in a web of male obsession. The phantom, a disfigured genius, becomes infatuated with Christine, believing her to be the key to his salvation and artistic triumph. His love is possessive and controlling, pushing Christine into a perilous game of manipulation and fear. Raoul, on the other hand, is her childhood friend and suitor, who unfortunately seeks to possess her too, but though his intentions are less sinister than those of the phantom, it’s just as bad.

Both women are thrust into situations where their innocence and vulnerability are exploited by men who project their desires and delusions onto them. The men in their lives, are blinded by obstacles and power, disregard the autonomy and agency of Esmeralda and Christine leading to tragic and harrowing consequences.

Their stories highlight the dangers of unchecked obsession and the vulnerability of women in a world dominated by male power and desire.