Love is something that is so beautiful it brings people together, but at the same time it can be the most destructive thing and it can tear people apart. Edmond Rostand's play, Cyrano de Bergerac, is a tale of a love triangle between Cyrano, Christian, and Roxane. In the play, Cyrano helps Christian make a false identity about himself for Roxane to fall in love for. Christian had the looks while Cyrano had the personality, together they could make the perfect man. Throughout the play, you see similarities and differences between Christian and Cyrano’s personality, looks, and who they love. Cyrano de Bergerac is a man of many talents but like most people he also has some flaws. Cyrano is known by many people for his large nose, his great …show more content…
He pulls off this great look, but once you get t o know him you realize that he is not the most intelligent person. Christian according to Roxane is “proud, brave, and noble.”(II.vi.178) But, Christian says “I’m so stupid, I could die of shame.”(II.x.464) Christian is brave considering he is a part of the army and he does go to war. He is noble in the way that he is willing to give up Roxane for Cyrano since Roxane only loves Christian for his looks. He tells Cyrano to tell Roxane of the plan that they had made because Roxane had told Christian that if he was ugly she would still love him. That meant that she did not just love him for his looks anymore. He is not the brightest considering that he thought he could make Roxane swoon without the help of Cyrano. He tries and fails dramatically, she does not want to talk him so Cyrano has to come to the rescue and fix it all for Christian. Christian is called “handsome”(II.x.464) by Roxane when she is describing him to Cyrano. Also, Cyrano says, “…the boy is handsome, damn him!.” (II.x.459) When he and Christian are alone after Christian was insulting his nose while Cyrano was telling the cadets his story of the fight. Roxane fell for Christian just for his looks, he is handsome and his looks and Roxane’s beauty would go well together if you were just looking at looks. The Cadets were together listening to Cyrano’s fighting story, but every time Cyrano would say something Christian would interrupt and make fun of Cyrano’s nose. Eventually, Cyrano gets annoyed with it and tells all the Cadets to leave but Christian. But, instead of killing Christian he embraces him into a hug and goes on to tell him that he is handsome and basically perfect for Roxane.Christian says that he “loves her so”(I.ii.66) when he is talking to Lingière. Then he goes on to describe what he thinks she is like saying, “I’m sure she is clever, one of those
Superficial passion revolves around outward beauty, but true love is always found in the heart. In Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand conveys this truth beautifully. This play follows Cyrano in his quest for love from Roxanne, believing she could not love him due to his oversized nose. Little do they know that she does not truly love the handsome Christian, but rather Cyrano, the master of words.
First and foremost is the appeal to emotions. All of the other facets of romanticism can be related to the emotional appeal in Cyrano de Bergerac. Because strong emotional appeal is perhaps the most important method used by the author to create identity with the reader, especially in romantic works, the actions which elicit the emotional responses must, then, show a great deal about the character. The character's motives and philosophies can be determined through his actions. Because Cyrano de Bergerac was written in the romantic style, certain intellectual and emotional principles exist throughout the play, which will now be observed in depth.
The theme of this play is inner beauty and outer beauty. In the beginning of Cyrano de Bergerac, it seems like the theme focuses heavily on outer beauty. As you continue to read on, the play actually puts more emphasis in inner beauty. Symbolism is very important in this play. The letters written by Cyrano symbolizes Cyrano’s inner beauty because what you write comes from your soul which is shaped by your personality. Cyrano’s nose symbolizes his ugliness and his insecurity. Because Cyrano knows Roxane would never consider him because of his nose, he decides to help Christian since Cyrano believes he can help Christian win Roxane’s heart. “
Christian De Neuvillette is introduced as an impulsive baron with charming features. Christian can be interpreted as a naïve, and shortsighted character, although within the play, his character bonds between more than just two negative attributes. The most desirable personality traits that a character would acquire are strenuous to preserve. One of these strenuous traits includes courtesy, which readers would target their attention to. The readers’ concentration targets to characters with high qualities that differ from other characters, in this case Christian fits perfectly into the category. After Christian De Neuvillette proves Cyrano De Bergerac that he has fortitude by insulting Cyrano’s extensive nose, Christian hastily apologizes later when Cyrano acknowledged he was the cousin of Roxane. This may be interpreted as an action of remorse, considering Christian did affront the cousin of Roxane; a woman Christian felt adoration towards. The interpretation is partially correct, although stepping into Christian’s point of view, his loyalty focalizes onto Roxane. Christian’s reaction to when he figured Cyrano was Roxane’s cousin, revealed a sudden change in attitude towards Cyrano, creating a much lighter and respectful tone in his speech: “I am so glad to meet you / Believe me...
It was a statement by Rostand on the superficial society that he lives in. This play started as a classic tale of love and the battle of two opposites, but then it evolved into a beautiful performance with an impactful moral. You could tell just by reading the play that Rostand’s goal was to change the audience’s views on the importance of beauty. It makes sense why Cyrano de Bergerac was such a critically acclaimed and controversial play when it first came out. Christian and Cyrano are both symbols for the values of inner and outer beauty. Roxane represents society. When Roxane chooses Christian, it shows how Rostand’s society values outer beauty while inner beauty hides. In the end, when Roxane figures out it was Cyrano who she loves, it shows how Rostand wishes society would acknowledge inner beauty instead of only focusing on outer beauty. The play was an original statement about Rostand’s opinion on the importance of both inner and outer beauty. He uses beautiful metaphors, similes, and sense imagery to convince the audience that his opinion is right. Which is better to have, inner or outer beauty? Rostand leaves that up to the audience members, but in the very end, he clearly tells them his final
The love of the protagonist and his wife in William Shakespeare’s trgedy Othello can not stand up against the repeated assaults of the sinister Iago. Let us in this essay search for and comment on the examples of love found in the play.
Few words can be more humorous, or more upsetting, than a well thought out and witty phrase. The only skill that matches Cyrano’s skill with a sword, is his skill with his tongue. With a wit unmatched by any poet, Cyrano made enemies wherever he went, simply by out-smarting all who came against him. In the first act of the play, Cyrano crashes a performance of the well-known actor Montfluery. After many insults, Cyrano heaps upon them by saying, “I would never venture out in public with a soiled conscience, a tarnished honor, or scruples grimy and dull. I do not adorn myself with gems and ribbons, like you. Instead, I decorate myself with truth, independence, and a clean soul.”
Cyrano is a very intelligent, noble, skillful swordsman who is full of knowledge and creativity to allow him to write his writings. Cyrano shows loving character because he delivers a letter to Roxane every day, of his own feelings and helpful when helping Christian and his struggles with Roxane. Cyrano is also brave and ambitious because he is not afraid of any challenge that awaits him.
Continuing on from Cyrano’s carelessness for his happiness, we may easily make a jump to his sense of self-worth. Any man who would sacrifice his own love, thus, his entire world, for the sake of his rival cannot have a concern for himself.
Cyrano always thought that he is less fortunate to have a nose this big. That’s why when people made fun of him he got very angry but he never lost his charisma and he always made himself look smart. Roxane thinks that Christian is the most handsome boy and most outstanding poet in the world but she doesn’t know that it is Cyrano who is writing the letters to her. Cyrano’s disguised letters have moved her inexpressibly. Christian tells Cyrano he no longer wants Cyrano’s help, and then makes a fool of himself while he tries to speak to her
Cyrano is depicted as an ugly man simply because of his nose. When he insulted about his nose by Valvert, a man that also has eyes for Roxane, Cyrano calmly asks and says “is that all? That was trifle short! You might have said at least a hundred things by varying the tone”(I.Rostand 28), and cyrano evens give Valvert more and better insults that he could have said. Cyrano himself makes slight remarks about himself and is surprisingly confident and comfortable with his nose, but when others insult it, he shows that he is not as comfortable as he seems, and ties into the fact that his appearance is an insecurity. Although Cyrano is not considered beautiful in the outside, he is beyond beautiful in the inside. His ability to write poems passionately and beautifully goes beyond his nose and in this case, his words spoke louder than his actions. In fact, his internal beauty is what Roxane is honestly in love with. Cyrano’s nose shows his uniqueness and sets him apart from the rest. Roxane refused to look past his ‘ugliness’, therefore she never got to find out who her true love was until it was too late. She saw Christian’s beauty and instantly fell in love. Inner and outer beauty also comes to okay, when Roxane finally says that she “began to love Christian not only for his beauty, but for also his soul”(IV. Rostand 108). Roxane has finally realized that it is not all about the exterior, but instead the interior. I believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. I think you should never judge someone at all, especially if the thing you’re judging them on is not permanent and can change at any given moment, “for beauty is a poor disguise that is soon worn threadbare by time”( IV. Rostand 108). Because he was judged on a surface level, Cyrano was
Cyrano is too insecure to tell Roxane that he loves her, instead deceiving her and making her think that Christian is the perfect man. Cyrano allows Christian to use his words as his own, saying, “Would you dare to repeat her the words/I gave you, day by day?” (99). Cyrano gives his original letter to Roxane to Christian, telling him to simply use it as his own. This quote demonstrates how Cyrano ...
Cyrano believes that Christian is handsome and he is not. Realizing Christian may have the hots but not the brains, the two of them team up to make the ultimate boyfriend for Roxane. Cyrano writes her letters with his very poetic voice, while Christian is used for the physicalness of being with Roxane. Roxane, however, does not know Cyrano is in on this, and she does not know that Cyrano loves her, and is not able to know until he reads one of “Christian's” letters out loud to Roxane fifteen years later. Cyrano de Bergerac is filled with themes of independence, sacrifice, love, and loyalty. Cyrano is defined as a romantic hero because he has courageousness, boastfulness, and flourishness, which are his happy symbols, but he is also a sad poet and very sensitive. Now, in the book, Cyrano has a problem that he has a gigantic nose. So big, that is used to define so many things. Cyrano’s nose is first, a symbol of his “larger than life” or very energetic and outgoing personality. Cyrano’s nose also represents his devotion for his cousin Roxane. His nose could also possibly be a symbol of his craziness and his nobility. People have renowned Cyrano’s story because of his heroic protagonist qualities and who stayed loyal to their beliefs. Cyrano de Bergerac is a story about fear, beauty, loyalty, friendship, love,
Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night revolves around a love triangle that continually makes twists and turns like a rollercoaster, throwing emotions here and there. The characters love each another, but the common love is absent throughout the play. Then, another character enters the scene and not only confuses everyone, bringing with him chaos that presents many different themes throughout the play. Along, with the emotional turmoil, each character has their own issues and difficulties that they must take care of, but that also affect other characters at same time. Richard Henze refers to the play as a “vindication of romance, a depreciation of romance…a ‘subtle portrayal of the psychology of love,’ a play about ‘unrequital in love’…a moral comedy about the surfeiting of the appetite…” (Henze 4) On the other hand, L. G. Salingar questions all of the remarks about Twelfth Night, asking if the remarks about the play are actually true. Shakespeare touches on the theme of love, but emphases the pain and suffering it causes a person, showing a dark and dismal side to a usually happy thought.
True Love in The Merchant of Venice Among the various themes presented in the Merchant of Venice most important is the nature of true love. The casket plot helps illustrate the theme of the book. Through a variety of suitors the descriptions of the caskets, Shakespeare shows the reader how different people view true love. He also shows what is most important to the suitors and in some cases it is not true love, but material things and outward appearance. The first suitor who tries to win Portia's hand is the Prince of Morocco.