Cyrano De Bergerac Essay, Research Paper
Cyrano de Bergerac
Edmond Rostand was born in Marseilles, France in 1868 and he died in 1918. He was an author who mainly wrote romantic plays, mostly in verse, that provided strong roles for generations of actors. Rostand’s first drama was Les Romanesques, and it was produced in Paris in 1894. It became an American musical that was had the longest run in history. He achieved fame with Cyrano de Bergerac; a play based on an actual person. It has become a theatrical classic and has been performed by many actors.
Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac was a French writer born in Paris in 1619. His escapades gave him a reputation of a romantic hero. He was known for his prominent nose. He became a soldier but had to abandon that career because of a battle wound. He wrote several tragedies and comedies. His most famous works, L’Histoire comique des ¾tats et empires de la lune and L’Histoire comique des ¾tats et empires de la soleil are considered precursors to modern-day science fiction.
Although based on a real person, Cyrano de Bergerac the play is fiction. The play has a lot to do with love. It was somewhat like the other play that we studied before this: A Midsummer’s Nights Dream, where a person is in love with someone who doesn’t feel the same way about him or her. In Cyrano de Bergerac, the lover is Cyrano who feels that he is too ugly to have the person he loves, Roxanne, possibly have the same feelings for him, because of his grotesquely large nose. Later on this changes as in A Midsummer’s Nights Dream where the object of love, Roxanne finally realizes that she loves Cyrano.
The play also shows that honor is very important. Cyrano has honor for the theatre and for Roxanne and Christian. He shows that he is willing to sacrifice his chances with Roxanne so that Christian can succeed. This shows honor and virtue. Cyrano seems like a very wise and caring person to me, and would be a good friend, if I were a good friend to him.
I thought that Cyrano de Bergerac is an excellent play that should be studied by students throughout the world. I believe that the two film versions of the play where also very good. I especially enjoyed Roxanne because it was more modern day and could be more easily understood. Both the play and the movies were very funny. The play was very well written. I think it was great.