Nosing into Romantic Drama

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Recommended: The influence of the romantic period

Cyrano de Bergerac was published by the French poet Edmond Rostand in 1897. This classic tale continues to capture the hearts as well as the attention of artists and audience members. For example, this romantic piece has been adapted into cinema productions, operas, novels, a radio broadcast, an orchestral concert overture and a ballet performance. It also remains the representing piece from the theatrical romantic period. Rostand’s romantic piece depicts a relatable tale by depicting themes such as love, how to overcome bullying, how to woo the girl, and how to remain a man of honor through poetic verse. This paper will concentrate on exploring the person Edmond Rostand, why this play is a representative piece from the romantic period, how it defines the romantic period, as well as review critics’ opinions of this play.
Edmond Eugene Alexis Rostand was born in Marseilles, France during the year 1868. His father was a successful journalist, poet and economist who pushed Rostand to study law. However, Edmond had a thirst to learn French literature and theatre. Therefore, Rostand earned his law degree by studying philosophy, history and literature at the College Stanislas de Paris. In 1890, he managed to publish his first volume of poems at the young age of 22. In 1894, Rostand’s first significant play The Romancers was produced at the Comedie Francaise. His theatrical plays were great successes, so much so the great Sarah Bernhardt stared in his The Faraway Princess and The Woman of Samaria. However, Rostand’s fame was solidified with the success of his most famous play Cyrano de Bergerac. This play was specifically written at the request of the great French actor Benoit Constant Coquelin who also was cast as the heroic Cyrano. ...

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...t about by his large nose. The audience’s stirred passions will invite them to individually react or interpret the revealed truth.
According to TheatreMania.com, the world continues to love this production because everyone can relate to Cyrano, Roxane and Christian. A Christian figure needs a dependable friend to be his wingman if he lacks the words to woo a potential lover. If dating service has helped an individual win the affections of a lover it has “deBergeracked”. An audience can weep for Cyrano and Roxane since they too may share a similar experience of “the one who got away”. The plot of the story is used in many modern works such as Steve Martin’s Roxanne. Needless to say, Edmond Rostand’s romantic masterpiece Cyrano de Bergerac can be placed among the great plays such as Romeo & Juliet, The Importance of Being Earnest, and A Streetcar Named Desire.

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