Anthony Burgess and Edmond Rostand's Cyrano De Bergerac

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Loyalty Overrules Love

As popular author Nicole Yatsonsky says, “Your truest friends are the ones who will stand by you in your darkest moments – Because they're willing to brave the shadows with you – and in your greatest moments – because they're not afraid to let you shine.” Similarly, in the heroic, romantic comedy, Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, Cyrano, a passionate and talented poet cursed with an exceedingly long nose, helps Christian, a handsome yet dim-witted man, win the love of Roxane, the girl both have pined after for years. Through a series of correspondences between Cyrano (posing as Christian), and Roxane, Roxane falls deeply in love with Christian. In turn, Cyrano falls for Roxane. Despite his feelings for Roxane, Cyrano backs off and allows, even helps, the two lovers get married. In Cyrano de Bergerac, playwright Edmond Rostand uses Cyrano’s relationship with Roxane as well as his friendship with Christian to prove the theme that loyalty forms a bond stronger than love.

To begin, Rostand proves the theme that loyalty forms a bond that proves more durable than love through Cyrano’s relationship with Roxane. At one point, Cyrano and Roxane reminisce about their childhood at Ragueneau’s bakery. Roxane remembers fondly, “Sometimes when you had a hurt hand you used to come running to me and I would be your mother”(Rostand 72; Act 2). Even before Cyrano became romantically interested in Roxane, the cousins had a strong friendship built on loyalty and willingness to care for another. Now that Cyrano is infatuated with Roxane, his desire to help her continues strong, regardless of the cost to himself. Putting his own interests aside, he helps the foolish Christian earn Roxane’s love. Even as Cyran...

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..., the deep allegiance that forms between the two friends proves to be greater than the romantic affection that either man feels for Roxane.

All in all, Cyrano’s loyalty to Christian and to Roxane demonstrates the theme that loyalty forms a deep connection that extends beyond love. The motif of faithfulness shown between Cyrano and Roxane, even when love was no object, portrays the idea that being a dependable friend creates long lasting relationships. As Nicole Yatsonsky articulates, loyalty is a decision to stand by a friend in hard times, even when it hurts; and when things are going well, loyalty is a willingness to be outshone.

Works Cited

"Nicole Yatsonsky Quotes." Nicole Yatsonsky Quotes (Author of Summer Sun and Sand).

N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.

Burgess, Anthony, and Edmond Rostand. Cyrano De Bergerac. New York: Knopf, 1971. Print.

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