Captain Phoebus Captain Phoebus "Capitaine" Phœbus de Châteaupers 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 Louis XI'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
Notre-Dame de Paris (musical) he claims as an excuse that he was bewitched by Esmeralda’s "sorcery". Fleur-de-Lys tells him that he will still have her heart and love if he will swear to have Esmeralda executed ("La Monture"). At five o'clock the morning of the execution, Frollo visits Esméralda’s cell and to her horror confesses to her that he knifed Phoebus out of love for her ("Un Matin Tu Dansais") and offers her a choice: death on the gallows or life by giving him love. When Esmeralda rejects his advances, he tries to rape her, but Quasimodo (who has secretly followed him) frees Clopin