Clopin Trouillefou
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Clopin Trouillefou is a fictional character of the 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame by French author Victor Hugo.
In the Victor Hugo story
In the story, Clopin disrupts Gringoire's play, begging the audience for money. Later that night, Gringoire runs into him once again in the Court of Miracles, where Clopin is revealed not as a beggar, but as King of Truands. He prepares to execute Gringoire for trespassing, until the beautiful Esmeralda agrees to marry him in order to save him.
Near the end of the novel, Clopin receives news of Esmeralda's upcoming execution for the framed murder of Captain Phoebus. In order to rescue her, he rounds all of the Truands to attack Notre Dame Cathedral where Esmeralda is protected by Quasimodo. In response to the assault, Quasimodo retaliates with stones, timber, and molten lead. Finally, the author notes that Clopin dies courageously during the attack.
Adaptations
Disney Adaptation
Template:DisneyChar Clopin is also present in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, in which he is a Gypsy who is more jovial and less sinister than in the novel. However, Clopin is much darker, in clothing and humor, when Quasimodo and Phoebus arrive in the court of miracles. He is voiced by Paul Kandel.
As well as narrating the whole film, Clopin introduces the film and begins the story with the song Bells of Notre Dame. He also sings 'Topsy Turvy' about the traditional Parisian 'Feast of Fools', held every year on January 6.
Clopin wears two costumes during the film: A jester suit (seen to the right) which he wears at the Festival of Fools. He also wears a similar costume in the catacombs, but it is almost completely purple with no gold trim, no mask, and no bells.
He appears in the film five times. The first appearance is when Clopin sings "Bells of Notre Dame," which tells the tale of how Frollo killed Quasimodo's mother, but was stopped by the Archdeacon before he could kill Quasimodo by drowning him in a well.
The second appearance is at the Festival of Fools, where he sings "Topsy Turvy," a riveting dance number that explains that it is "the day we do the things that we deplore on the other three-hundred-and-sixty-four." It is also during this song that he crowns Quasimodo the King of Fools.
His third appearance is much later in the film, at the Court of Miracles, which is where he and a large group of Gypsies believe Quasimodo and Phoebus to be spies. They sing the song "Court of Miracles" as Clopin puts Quasimodo and Phoebus on "trial." He eventually finds them "totally innocent, which is the worst crime of all." He prepares to hang them, but Esmeralda arrives in time to stop him and tell the Gypsies of their good intentions. Frollo at that same time attacks the Court of Miracles and Clopin is seen struggling to break free from his bonds.
His fourth appearance is briefly during the climax of the film where Esmeralda is at the pyre before Notre Dame. When Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda, Phoebus rouses the crowd into action, and Clopin is seen jumping out of one of the many cages that hold the gypsies. Along with the civilians they attack Frollo's soldiers.
His fifth and final appearance is at the end, where he sings a reprise of "Bells of Notre Dame" while entertaining one of the young children.
Not only is Clopin the narrator in the story, he is also the king of the Gypsies, who at the time were being rounded up and murdered in an act of 'purification' by Judge Claude Frollo, the evil character of the film. In addition to this, he has also become one of the film's most popular characters. Clopin also appeared in the straight-to-video sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II.