Analysis Of Cyrano De Bergerac By Edmond Rostand

A Warranted Love

Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand, was written to show how three men, Cyrano, Christian, and De Guiche, do their best to win the heart of a woman named Roxane. Roxane, while exhibiting vain and shallow qualities at the beginning of the play, is not conceited nor superficial by the end, and is actually intended to be seen as an intelligent and round character. In the beginning of the play Roxane is portrayed as a shallow character because of her love for Christian seemingly based solely on his appearance. However, through her repetitious refusal to marry De Guiche and after finding that Cyrano actually was the author of the words with which she fell in love, the readers see that Rostand actually intended for her to be portrayed

Even in present times, physical attraction contingent on outward appearance is how most people choose who they want to court. This was no different in the 1600s when Rostand wrote Cyrano de Bergerac. Roxane simply chose to pursue a relationship with Christian based on physical attraction. However, when she got to know Christian’s inner qualities, she fell out of love with him. This development shows depth in Roxane’s true values. Even in the beginning, Roxane exclaimed that if Christian did not have a witty, smart, and poetic personality “then [she would] just die” (Rostand 49). This proves that while her first impression of Christian was dependent upon physical attraction, she was equally concerned with the way he thinks and interacts. After talking to Christian the first time and realizing that he might not be as smart as she thought he was, she attempts to discontinue all contact with him. Roxane explains that Christian growing foolish while talking “displeases [her] almost as it would displease [her] if [he] grew ugly (Rostand 73). This is further evidence to support the fact that she is not shallow because she equally values internal and external

This shows why Roxane does, in fact, deserve Cyrano’s love. It’s not Roxane’s fault that she didn’t fall in love with Cyrano immediately. Because Cyrano was “her cousin” he had always been present in her life, but in actuality they were so close that he was much more like “her brother” (Rostand 60). This is why she had never thought of him in a romantic way. When Christian enters her life, he is a new face with new opportunities for love. The theme of beauty coming from within is depicted because Cyrano knows that he is not the most attractive person when he says his looks make him “feel so ugly and so all alone,” but internally he has beauty because only when Cyrano speaks, does Roxane feel love for Christian (Rostand 35). When Cyrano “[draws] Christian under the balcony, and [slips] into [Christian’s] place,” Roxane finally exclaims that she is “trembling and weeping” with love and that Cyrano, while acting as Christian, has “conquered all of [her]” (Rostand 75, 78). Hence, Roxane deserves Cyrano’s love because the only reason her physical attraction developed into love for Christian, was because Christian actually used Cyrano’s thoughts and words as though they were his