How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"You think you are miserable. Alas! You do not know what misery is. It is to love a woman—to be a priest—to be hated—to love with all the force of your soul—to feel that you would give for the least of her smiles your blood, your life, your character, your salvation, immortality, and eternity, this world and the next—to regret that you are not a king, a genie, an emperor, an archangel, a god, so that you could cast a greater slave at her feet." (VIII.IV.62)
All right, you remember what we were saying earlier about Frollo being an all-or-nothing type of guy? Yeah, he doesn't seem to be able to go halfway when it comes to his feelings. One thing is for sure, though: he definitely thinks that between him and Esmeralda, he is the worse off. Pretty self-centered, right?
Make a note of that, because it tells us something about Frollo's character. He almost seems to see himself as a martyr. His declarations of unrequited love may be pathetic (in the sense of pathos), but it's hard to ignore that there is also something sinister and egotistical about them. This isn't the last time we'll hear his declarations of love, either; he seems pretty intent on giving voice to them.
Quote #8
Even in this extremity she saw him survey her nearly naked form with an eye glowing with lust, desire, and jealousy. (VIII.VI.82)
In the words of the great Tina Turner: "What's love got to do with it?" Esmeralda isn't fooled. She knows that if Frollo is obsessed with her, it's because he wants to get into her pants. The question is how much Frollo realizes this. The fact is, even though he still throws around the word "love" a lot, he seems to recognize that this love mostly has its basis in sex. Do you think that for him love and lust are the same thing?
Quote #9
Every night his frenzied imagination presented La Esmeralda to him in all those postures that had made the blood boil most vehemently in his veins. He saw her stretched on the wounded Captain, her eyes closed, her beautiful bosom covered with his blood, at the delicious moment when the Archdeacon had imprinted on her pale lips that kiss which the unfortunate girl, though half dead, had felt as a burn. (IX.V.8)
Despite all the blood and gore, there is definitely something sadistic and erotic about this image. But it makes sense that it would be the one that Frollo fantasizes about: Esmeralda is completely helpless, Phœbus is permanently out of the picture, and Frollo is in charge. So now we get a sense of what Frollo's feelings are really all about: he doesn't want to be mutually happy with Esmeralda; he wants to own her. See the next quote if you need more convincing.