Monsieur D'Arque

"So, you want me to throw her father into the asylum unless she agrees to marry you? (groans) Oh, that is despicable. (chuckles evilly) I LOVE IT!!"

- Monsieur D'Arque upon learning of Gaston's plan to make Belle his wife. "I have come to collect your father. (Belle: My father?) Don't worry, Mademoiselle. We'll take good care of him."

- Monsieur D'Arque to Belle.

Monsieur D'Arque is the head of the local insane asylum and the tertiary antagonist of the 1991 animated Disney film, Beauty and the Beast and its upcoming 2017 live-action adaptation. The town hunter named Gaston bribes him to pronounce Belle's father Maurice insane and lock him in the asylum (a job he is very happy to do) to blackmail Belle into marrying him. But then Belle shows that her father is not insane by revealing the existence of the Beast.

He was voiced by the late Tony Jay, (who later voiced Judge Claude Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Shere Khan in The Jungle Book 2) in the 1991 film, and will be portrayed by Adrian Schiller in the 2017 live-action adaptation.

Personality
Although he does not have much screen time compared to the film's other villains, enough of Monsieur D'Arque is seen for people to judge him as a callous, self-centered man who will do anything for money, to the point that he even notes that Gaston's plan to blackmail Belle into marrying him is extremely despicable, only to claim immediately afterwards with an evil laugh that he actually loves it, clutching a gold coin tightly in his fist. Also, when he arrives with the lynch mob to take Maurice away, he promises Belle with a wicked smile that they will "take good care" of Maurice in the madhouse, possibly implying that the patients there are subjected to forms of abuse, and D'Arque himself takes pleasure in watching it. However, although not shown onscreen, he is willing to pardon anyone whose sanity has been proven to the public, as Maurice was finally released after Belle proves the Beast's existence; even D'Arque himself admits earlier that he considers Maurice to be very harmless in nature.

Despite being the supporting antagonist, it is rather interesting to note that D'Arque's personality and Tony Jay's performance as the character is what lead Disney to cast Jay as Judge Claude Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

History
When Belle turns down Gaston's marriage proposal, Gaston becomes angry but when Belle's father Maurice comes into the tavern telling everyone that Belle has been locked in the dungeon by the Beast and everyone starts laughing thinking that Maurice is crazy, Gaston comes up with a plan to make Belle his wife.

Later that night after everyone goes home, Gaston and his lackey LeFou remain in the tavern to meet up with Monsieur D'Arque, who runs the local madhouse (or "Asylum for Loons"). Gaston reveals his plan to make Belle agree to marry him by exploiting her father's crazy ravings about a unnamed Beast holding her prisoner in his castle. D'Arque is quite hesitant at first as he truthfully states that Maurice is quite harmless in general (despite his claims). However, Gaston offers D'Arque a bag of gold to throw Maurice in the madhouse unless Belle agrees to marry him, to which D'Arque happily accepts. When they go to Belle's cottage to find out that neither Belle nor Maurice are there, so Gaston has LeFou stay there on guard until Belle and Maurice return.

When Belle and Maurice do come home, LeFou rushes to get Gaston and D'Arque, who both rallied up much of the villagers for support. D'Arque himself appears at Belle's doorstep and snidely promises her that they will "take good care" of Maurice, showing her the madhouse's carriage. D'Arque has his men carry Maurice to the carriage, despite Belle's protests. Gaston promises to have Maurice released if Belle will marry him, but Belle turns down Gaston's proposal again and manages to prove that her father's sanity by proving the Beast's existence with the Magic Mirror, resulting Maurice's release. D'Arque is not seen after this since he was not among the rioters attacking the Beast's castle, so it is likely that he merely went home, knowing now that Maurice was telling the truth the whole time.

Theatrical verison
In the musical version of Beauty and the Beast, D'Arque's asylum is called the Maison Des Lunes, which is French for "House of Lunatics". He, Gaston, and Lefou sing about Gaston's plot in the song, also called "Maison Des Lunes".

Lyrics
Gaston: There's a danger I'll be thwarted, And denied my honeymoon, For the pretty thing I've courted, Refuses to swoon. So the time has come for a murky plan For which I turn to a murky man

LeFou:  To find that fiend What better than;

Gaston + LeFou: THE MAISON DES LUNES

Gaston: I don't take this girl for granted, There's no path I haven't hewn, To her heart; no seed unplanted, No flowers unstrewn. But quite amazing to relate  she doesn't want me for her mate.

LeFou: Which forces him to contemplate;

Gaston and LeFou: THE MAISON DES LUNES

D'Arque: I don't wish to seem a tad obtuse, But I don't see how I can be of use, For I lock people up, I'm not a Lonely Hearts Club. I'm a cold, cold fish, I've a nasty, vicious streak.

LeFou: Please speak!

Gaston: It's Belle's father whose your client, She adores the old buffoon. She'll be forced to be compliant,

LeFou: She'll dance to your tune.

Gaston:  We'll get the daughter through her dad, You just pronounce the old boy mad.

LeFou:  And whoosh, he's slammed up In your pad;

LeFou + D'Arque THE MAISON DES LUNES

Gaston: Do I make myself entirely clear?

D'Arque: It's the simplest deal of my whole foul career!

Gaston:  Put Maurice away and she'll be here in Moments, in a dreadful state, She'll capitulate To me.

D'Arque: Oh, I'll be strapping up an inmate

LeFou: Very tightly

Gaston: Very soon.

D'Arque: But please don't bring him in late; Our check-in time's noon. So wave one bachelor good-bye,

Gaston:  She'll be my bride!

LeFou:  She'd rather die...(uncomfortable pause)...then see her daddy

D'Arque: ''Ossify? In my sordid saloon!''

Gaston + LeFou + D'Arque: So book the church, raise glasses high, to THE MAISON DES LUNES.

Trivia

 * "D'Arque" is a pun of the word "Dark".
 * Some fans believe him to be related to Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, because they are both French and voiced by Tony Jay.
 * As a matter of fact, Tony Jay's performance as D'Arque is what led to Jay's role as Frollo.
 * Monsieur D'Arque's initial appearance is similar to that of Doctor Claw from the Inspector Gadget series.