Siege Of Arras By Edmond Rostand Analysis

Reflection Statement This play is set during the time of a war with Spain. Most of the important actions taken throughout this play were caused by the war. Edmond Rostand wrote about this war to deal with the war that his country just finished fighting, the Franco-Prussian war. Rostand though chose to change parts of the Siege of Arras, which was a part of the Thirty Year’s war between France and Spain. He changed it so we can focus more on the lives that were affected by the war rather than the war itself. He wanted to focus it on the people that were affected by the war but didn’t fight in the war, because they are forgotten and the pain they go through isn’t really mentioned. He has the war end ambiguously, so as to have his readers

While she is talking to Cyrano she admits that she has never verbally spoken to him, “Only our eyes…” (II.vi.74) she says. She fits the gender stereotype that women today are still trying to outgrow, that all women are romantics who believe that the man who makes your heart skip a beat with one look is your soulmate. Without speaking one word to him, she already can tell that “He is proud一noble一young一brave一beautiful一” (II.vi.74). She doesn’t truly know him. She created an image of Christian in her head without even knowing something so basic as his favorite color. She can be perceived as superficial basing her love on his beauty. This is significant to the theme of inner beauty versus outer beauty. Christian represents the outer beauty in this story whereas Cyrano represents the inner beauty. Even though Cyrano and Roxane have history, she has never considered him as a potential partner, likely because his appearance and lack of beauty makes him so unlike Christian. This keeps her from experiencing real love because of Cyrano’s lack of beauty, she would have never fallen in love with him first, and would have never known his beautiful words, and that he is her true