Hugo's character is damsel in distress about period (9)
I believe the answer is:
esmeralda
'damsel in distress about period' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.
'hugo's character' is the wordplay.
'hugo's' becomes 'esmerald' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'character' becomes 'a'.
'esmerald'+'a'='ESMERALDA'
'is' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for esmeralda that I've seen before include "Heroine of The Hunchback of Notre Dame" , "Victor's character" , "Cuban city" , "Hugo's heroine" , "Victor Hugo character" .)