Beginning to end Cyrano de Bergerac is a wonderful play. Full of well developed characters and a tragic hero you can't help but love. At first I doubted Cyrano's motives behind helping Christian. However, was pleasantly surprised when I was proved wrong. Cyrano genuinely wants Roxane to be happy, so he helps Christian woo her. All the while hiding his true feelings and pain. He chose to keep his friendship with Roxane. He found it impossible for her to ever love him due to his appearance. He keeps his true feelings a secret throughout the play and finally to the grave. Only as he lay dying is it revealed to Roxane that Cyrano was the man writing the love letters she had thought were Christian's.
Another character I liked was Roxane. She genuinely loved Christian, or the man she believed him to be. She was real, and a loyal wife. She loved Cyrano as well, but she didn't know until the final act of the play, when it is revealed to her that Cyrano was really the one writing the love letters to her. As Cyrano is dying Roxane says, "I never loved but one...and twice I lose him"
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ReplyDeleteI had a wonderfully long comment that was erased before I could post it. :( But I will try and restate it but I am afraid I can only make it short and sweet.
ReplyDeleteCyrano's actions were mainly out of his insecurities about his nose and looks. He did not have faith that he "looked" good enough to be with Roxane. He underestimated her abilities. I do believe she would have been open-hearted and loved him for who he was because she unknowingly fell in love with him any way.
My comments on Roxane is that she was too naive. She initially only cared for Christian because of his looks, she later expresses that she does care about the more intellectual features as well. Roxane should have been smart enough to know that if Christian could not speak to her they he could write to her that something was wrong. She did have a partially materialistic view of love and that is a fault on her behalf.
Lastly Cyrano and Christian should not have done what they did. Deceiving Roxane in the end put double the strain on her emotionally. She did not deserve to feel the pain of losing ones true love twice.