At the beginning of the play, Roxane only noticed Christian because of his looks, and in hopes of making him her soul mate, assumed that he would be eloquent and intelligent as well. Christian, who was neither, needed Cyrano’s help to win Roxane’s love; in return, Cyrano wrote a fleet of romantic love letters for him. This highlights how judging others by their appearances can make us falsify our identities. However, when the truth was revealed to Christian that Cyrano truly loves Roxane, he realized that he wasn’t able to live up to her expectations, and as a result from heartbreak, killed himself. Fifteen years later, Roxane realized this truth as well; that Cyrano was the one who wrote the letters, and that he was the one who truly loves her. If they truly understood each other, Christian wouldn’t have died, Roxane wouldn’t have sacrificed her elegant life to be a nun, and Cyrano wouldn’t have died alone. In conclusion, through horrible consequences, Rostand reminds readers to strive to understand individuals’ identities, and not judge them by their appearances…
The way Cyrano interacts with the world differs in comparison to the way he interacts with those he truly cares about, and this contrast is especially apparent in his scenes with Ragueneau. The Cyrano in Act I is a brash individual willing to challenge an entire audience to duels to the death. If that was the only way Cyrano acted throughout the entire play, the audience wouldn’t be cheering his exploits, but instead think of him as a selfish daredevil with a self-esteem problem. However, with his interactions with Ragueneau, the audience sees how kind and loyal Cyrano can be to his friends. Out of all of those in Ragueneau’s pastry shop, he is the only one who does not try to scam him: he even tries to convince the cook to not let the people around him (the soldiers, the poets, and his wife) to treat him in such a manner; he also is angered at Lise(Ragueneau wife) when he deduces that she has not been faithful to Ragueneau, warning her that he is “fond of Ragueneau; [he allows] noone...to take his name in vain!”(Act II, page 59). With this action the audience can see that Cyrano is not self-centered; when he sees his friend about to be hurt, he takes action, regardless of the consequences. This is also apparent when Ragueneau explains his suicide attempt to the Duenna. Ragueneau claims “ I decided to put an end to it all, so I hanged myself. Just as my last breath was drawn, in comes Monsieur de Bergerac! He cuts me down, and gets me a job as his cousin's steward.”(Rostand, Act III, Scene I). Rather than staying passive as his friend attempted suicide, Cyrano took the time to help Ragueneau build his life back together, showing the greatness Cyrano can achieve even when he does not have an audience at his side. Their interactions also show his generosity: when Ragueneau complains to Cyrano that Moliere stole his scene word for word, all Cyrano…
Though the original Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand was adapted into the movie Roxanne by Steve Martin, the differences between the two are countless. When watching the movie, the viewer can find that many of the unnecessary details of the book are taken out or altered, while the “skeleton” of the story remains mostly in tact. Despite some exceptions, both the viewer and reader receive, as should be expected from a movie interpretation, essentially the exact same story, however their overall experience after reading Cyrano de Bergerac and watching Roxanne are very much different in many aspects.…
The image that Cyrano has molded for himself is drastically different from the one that lives inside. While being a caring and gentle soul, due to his insecurities he creates another persona, that others are familiar with, who is rugged and rough. On the outside, he appears as an alpha male, while also being an eloquent speaker. As the book progresses, it is revealed how his insecurities are always factored into his decisions. A battle that all go through, the character Rostand has created, clearly displays the strife between internal conflict, public image, and how it ultimately creates problems for oneself.…
Cyrano in this play concealed his love for Roxane due to her loving someone else and to honor his dead friend. In the play at a bakery Cyrano promises to the Roxane the woman he loves in secret that he will protect Christian the man she loves. “Very well, I’ll protect your little baron” (376). The fact that Cyrano is willing to do this is a big sacrifice showing that he values being will Roxane and making her happy more than her loving him back even to the point where he would protect the man that could become her lover. Cyrano also sacrifices when, on the battlefield, Christian wants Cyrano to tell Roxane everything about their secret of them working together. But before Cyrano is even able to talk to Roxane, Christian is shot and falls to the ground dying when Cyrano tells Christian, “I told her everything it’s still you she loves” (413). This is the moment in…
In the drama, Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand incorporates three different characters who come together to create this comedic, romantic, yet tragic play. Cyrano de Bergerac takes place in the beautiful city of Paris in 1640. Cyrano, who is the main character in the story, is not the most attractive man to lay your eyes upon. In fact, some would say he was the ugliest man of his time. No one was fond of his looks because his nose was bigger than you could ever imagine! Despite his lack of an appealing appearance, he was a smart man with a good heart and soul. Cyrano has many incredible character traits; however, he also has some that…
After spending time listening and participating in my class’s interactive oral for Cyrano de Bergerac, my mind and thought process towards this play were expanded. I never realized how pyrotechnic Rostand’s writing truly is. This play contains so many symbols that allows the reader to connect with the story on a deeper level. The interactive oral gave me a chance to notice the little symbolisms that most people overlook, such as, a barrier that prevents Cyrano from professing his love to his cousin Roxane, meant to be shown through Cyrano’s rather large nose. There was also a realization about the differences and similarities of the culture depicted then and the culture now. The stereotypical gender roles seemed to be switched in the play then what…
Consequently, Hamlets’ tragic flaw leads to his downfall. His lack of action causes him not to kill Claudius when he has the chance, giving him the advantage. It can be seen that Claudius has the advantage to kill Hamlet when he states, “By letters conjuring to that effect/The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England” (4.3.65-6). Since Hamlet reveals that he knows that Claudius killed the former king, Claudius is deceiving Hamlet into going to England, where he will be executed. Hamlet reveals his knowledge of the murder when he puts on the play, re-enacting the former King’s murder. Now Claudius knows that he must kill Hamlet in order to avoid getting caught and stay on the throne. Claudius tells Hamlet that he is sending him to England for…
There are many accomplishments in the world done by people who are heroes. Some of their heroic deeds are simple and some heroic deeds are important to each individual life. In the novel Cyrano de Bergerac written by Edmond Rostand is a story about a man who uses poetry to sweeten ears of love and hate. Cyrano stands tall for his pride inside himself. Cyrano de Bergerac is a heroic leader because his love and emotions are strong of showing his true self.…
Both the “Miller’s Tale” and the “Nun’s Priest’s Tale” in the Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, can be categorized as comedy. As defined in the Oxford dictionary, comedy is a form of professional entertainment consisting of jokes and sketches, intended to make an audience laugh. However, it may be confusing for some audiences when they find another definition of the word comedy. Also as defined by the Oxford dictionary, comedy is a category of theater characterized by its humorous or satirical tone and its depiction of amusing people or incidents, in which the characters ultimately triumph over adversity. The first definition is broad and fails to characterize the complexity of the comedy found in the Canterbury Tales. The second…
Roxane, the main love interest, plays a major role in how Cyrano thinks of himself, as she consistently reaffirms how important beauty is in society. Cyrano, while trying to make up for his nose in other ways, is constantly reminded of that fact and his unrequited love for Roxane, which will eventually prove to be his downfall. The play ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ has endured for over the centuries precisely because readers still can relate to how grotesque Cyrano’s nose is, which is the persisting struggle in this story. As much as society likes to think that it has changed since the centuries ago in which this was written, beauty is still what many people think of when they make their first impression of…
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare shares the archetypal love story between two lovers of opposing households. Aside from the title, Romeo and Juliet, meets the criteria of a tragedy by emphasizing the protagonists’ tragic flaw in the process of their fall. Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet falls best under phase two tragedy due to the tragedy of innocence and confusion in an adult situation.…
Othello is a story of tragedy; a failed marriage between a Moor and the white daughter of a political figure. Through jealousy and deception, Othello and Desdemona’s, his wife, marriage goes from a love story to two tragic and preventable deaths. Othello is a highly respected general in the defense forces of Venice; his charismatic and intelligent demeanor allows him to gain power and status in a majority white atmosphere. Desdemona is the daughter of a high ranking chauvinistic political figure. Desdemona is nothing like her father, she believes in true love which is why she falls in love with Othello even though during the 16th century, interracial relations are frowned upon. The Great…
He was a young boy, probably only sixteen at the time. He had everything going for him. He was on his way to becoming a doctor, he had friends who cared about him, he attended a prestigious preparatory academy. In short, he was successful--or so every body thought until that fateful winter night. Because on that night, tragedy struck. On that night, Neil Perry committed suicide.…
The Tragedy Paper is about a boy named Tim Mcbeth he is a senior at Irving High school. He is a Albion. He explains his whole story to an boy named Duncan. I believe that The Tragedy Paper should be part of Four County Career Center’s junior English curriculum.…