And it was signed: Frankenstein (the Monster).
Hugo had scribbled the word “madness” across the paper.
The only remaining document I’ve been able to connect with this puzzling affair is a note written by my father of a psychic experiment he conducted with Victor Hugo several years later. It was not in the original file but in a notebook of my father’s. Here is the relevant excerpt:
Last night Victor and I were alone. We talked of many things and I reminded him of the strange incident of the “monster” that had occurred to him several years past. He said he had had only one further communication from the creature. He then mentioned a letter that he received on the eve of the “Monster” departing back in time with the aid of a Doctor Faustus or Festus.
“Surely, it’s a joke, Victor,” I said.
“He seemed very sincere to me,” he replied.
“Did you ever hear from him after that?”
“No–he must have got stuck in 1481–if he ever made it. I wish I could know more; the story has a strange fascination for me.”
I suggested that, perhaps, we could channel back in time. At first, Victor was skeptical–then I told him I myself had attempted it and with a dream-like result. At that point, he became very agitated.
“You say you were there, with Quasimodo, on the roof of Notre-Dame and that he was just about to hurl himself off the roof to his death when–?”
“When Dracula appeared.”
“Dracula. Is it possible?”
“Do you know who this Dracula is?”
“Dracula–is a vampire.”
“A vampire! That would explain his ability to fly and revive the dead.”
“So he turned Esmeralda and Quasimodo into vampires?”
“Yes–happy little vampires. Well, why not? Dracula needed servants and Quasimodo was very loyal. Esmeralda was dead anyway, and Quasimodo loved her. Yes. He’s made them undead–but for them at least, it would have been better than death. Yes, yes–I see it...”
Victor had become very agitated and began pacing back and forth.
“I’d really like to know what happened when Frankenstein got there.”
“That would certainly be interesting.”
“Look here, Dumas, if you know how to do this thing–would you? Could you?”
“I gladly would–I’m not sure if I can. What I experienced last time seemed like a dream to me.”
“I’ll be here to help–to verify.”
“In that case I shall try.”
I sat down in an armchair and began to concentrate on the roof of Notre-Dame and to think about Quasimodo and Dracula. At first, nothing.
“I don’t seem to be seeing much. Ah, wait!”
What I saw was the Monster and Doctor Faustus climbing up to the bell tower.
“Hurry, Doctor Faustus–we must not be late.”
“Festus. I’m coming along but this is devilishly high.”
“If you hadn’t insisted on going to visit Weimar!”
“I wanted to see my old friends.”
“I’m not paying you to see your old friends.”
“We are here in time.”
They had reached the top of the Cathedral. No one was around.
“There’s no one here. We are too late.”
“I think your friend Quasimodo is chasing Claude Frollo around still.”
There was a noise and, turning, we all saw Quasimodo rushing after the terrified Frollo.They raced about for a while and Frollo lost his balance and fell off, clutching the water spout from which he dangled for quite a while before eventually falling with a terrible scream. But Quasimodo’s attention was diverted toward the Place de Grève, where the executioner was busy hanging Esmeralda.
Suddenly, there was a huge beating of wings and Dracula landed like an elegant vulture behind Quasimodo. Quasimodo, unable to watch what was happening to Esmeralda, uttered a sob and prepared to hurl himself as Dracula said:
“Don’t!”
At this moment, Frankenstein, in terrible agitation, rushed toward Dracula.
“He won’t hurt you. I’ll save you,” the Monster blurted out.
He grabbed Dracula and pulled him away from Quasimodo, who looked on in astonishment and horror. Dracula drew his sword and brandished it at Frankenstein.
“Meddling fool! Don’t interfere.”
“I won’t let you!”
Dracula lunged at Frankenstein, but the Monster parried his thrust with ease. Then, grabbing Dracula, he shoved him back.
“Very well. Have it your way,” said the vampire lord. And Dracula suddenly vanished.
Frankenstein turned to Quasimodo who was looking at him with disbelief.
“Who are you? What have you done?”
“I’m Frankenstein. I’m a wretch like you. I’ve come to save you.”
“Can you bring the dead to life?”
“No.”
“Then, be cursed. You haven’t saved me, you’ve ruined me. Oh, we were to be so happy as vampires–I can see it all now. All that good creature wanted to do for me. And you’ve ruined everything.”
And Quasimodo hurled himself in tears at Frankenstein, who petted him gently, wiping his tears as the Hunchback pummeled him and kept telling the poor creature how he loved him.
I emerged from my trance.
“What a story, Alexander,” said Hugo.
“A very strange story. Do you think it true, or just a figment of my imagination?”
The next page of the notebook was pulled out. It seemed as though there was more to the story, but evidently my father wanted to destroy all record of it. I have been unable to find any other documents that relate to this tragedy. Alexandre Dumas, fils.
Afterword
In trying to sum up the differences between the Frankenstein Monster and Quasimodo, the simplest approach may be simply to place the characters side-by-side.
Quasimodo is a sort of freak of nature, ugly, misshapen, but desperately in need of love and affection and capable of returning it, albeit in a primal, animal like way. He suggests that what we would call “retards” are not to be shunned but embraced, and treated with kindness and understanding. Thus it would seem Victor Hugo’s view of nature is that it is basically good, even though in shape and form it may appear ugly. On the other hand, Quasimodo’s–and Esmeralda’s–unhappy fate suggests that despite the basic goodness of nature, life itself is often tragic.
Frankenstein is a freak not of nature but of man’s creation. Of science and rationalism, according to Mary Shelley, and the tradition, of magic and human pride according to Charles Nodier. Although somewhat pitiful, in Shelley’s version at least, Frankenstein proves intelligent–he reads a lot–and is to be pitied. But he is hard to embrace because he is vengeful, and violent. Ultimately, a much harsher monster than Hugo’s. Shelley’s approach to life is more bleak than truly tragic. Her monster survives and goes off into the Arctic. Nodier’s version is more ambiguous, since we really don’t know what happens next to the monster, but in both versions, he seems to be immortal.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
Frank J. MORLOCK is an accomplished translator and has translated numerous plays by Alexandre Dumas including Hamlet, Dr. Sturler’s Experiment (epilogue to Comte Hermann), Napoleon Bonaparte, The Musketeers, The Barricades of Clichy, Lorenzino, The Vampire a.k.a. The Return of Lord Ruthven (published by Black Coat Press), Le Vingt-quatre février, Antony, La Reine Margot, Caligula, Urbain Grandier, Monte-Cristo, The Whites and the Blues, The Youth of Louis XIV, Kean and many others.
Frank has also translated Victor Hugo’s dramas, Les Miserables, Ninety Three, Hans of Iceland and Notre-Dame de Paris as well as numerous other plays such as Charles Nodier’s The Vampire (published by Black Coat Press in Lord Ruthven the Vampire), Victor Darlay & Henry de Gorsse’s Arsène Lupin vs. Sherlock Holmes (also poublished by Black Coat Press), Madame Aubin by Verlaine and Signora Fantastici by Madame de Stael. He also had three plays published by Rogue Publish
ing: Dumas’ The Man in The Iron Mask, Victorien Sardou’s Young Figaro and Maurice Leblanc and François de Croisset’s original Arsène Lupin.
Notes
1 See Lord Ruthven the Vampire, 1-932983-10-4 and The Return of Lord Ruthven, 1-932983-11-2, both published by Black Coat Press, 2004.
2 Included in Lord Ruthven the Vampire, q.v.
3 The Return of Lord Ruthven, q.v.
4 More details about these six novels, and their 1972 comic-book adaptations, can be found in Jean-Marc & Randy Lofficier’s Shadowmen 2: Heroes and Villains from French Comics, ISBN 0-9740711-8-8 (Black Coat Press, 2004).
5 Peter the Slaughterer; and Baptist Crack-Gosling.
FRENCH HORROR COLLECTION
14 Cyprien Bérard. The Vampire Lord Ruthwen
Aloysius Bertrand. Gaspard de la Nuit
André Caroff. The Terror of Madame Atomos
André Caroff. Miss Atomos
André Caroff. The Return of Madame Atomos
André Caroff. The Mistake of Madame Atomos
André Caroff. The Monsters of Madame Atomos
André Caroff. The Revenge of Madame Atomos
25 Harry Dickson. The Heir of Dracula
13 Jules Dornay. Lord Ruthven Begins
23 Sâr Dubnotal vs. Jack the Ripper
12 Alexandre Dumas. The Return of Lord Ruthven
18 Renée Dunan. Baal
09 Paul Feval. Anne of the Isles
07 Paul Feval. Knightshade
08 Paul Feval. Revenants
05 Paul Feval. Vampire City
06 Paul Feval. The Vampire Countess
10 Paul Feval. The Wandering Jew’s Daughter
17 Paul Féval, fils. Felifax, the Tiger-Man
26 G.L. Gick. Harry Dickson and the Werewolf of Rutherford Grange
Léon Gozlan. The Vampire of the Val-de-Grâce
16 Etienne-Léon de Lamothe-Langon. The Virgin Vampire
01 Marie Nizet. Captain Vampire
24 C. Nodier, A. Beraud & Toussaint-Merle, V. Hugo, P. Foucher & P. Meurice. Frankenstein & The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
11 J. Polidori, C. Nodier, E. Scribe. Lord Ruthven the Vampire
15 P.-A. Ponson du Terrail. The Vampire and the Devil’s Son
02 Brian Stableford. The Shadow of Frankenstein
03 Brian Stableford. Frankenstein and the Vampire Countess
04 Brian Stableford. Frankenstein in London
19 Villiers de l’Isle-Adam. The Scaffold
20 Villiers de l’Isle-Adam. The Vampire Soul
21 Philippe Ward. Artahe
22 Philippe Ward & Sylvie Miller. The Song of Montségur
Acknowledgements: We are indebted to Jackie Stanton for typing the plays and David McDonnell for proofreading the typescript.
To Dan, Donna and Judy Woloshen for many years of friendship.
Frankenstein created by Mary Shelley.
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame created by Victor Hugo.
The Monster and the Magician, or Frankenstein Revisited English adaptation Copyright 2005 by Frank J. Morlock.
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame English adaptation Copyright 2005 by Frank J. Morlock.
The Passion of Frankenstein Copyright 2005 by Frank J. Morlock.
Cover illustration Copyright 2005 by David Rabbitte.
Visit our website at www.blackcoatpress.com
ISBN 1-932983-38-4. First Printing. June 2005. Published by Black Coat Press, an imprint of Hollywood Comics.com, LLC, P.O. Box 17270, Encino, CA 91416. All rights reserved. Except for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The stories and characters depicted in this book are entirely fictional. Printed in the United States of America.
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