Cyrano de Bergerac

Cyrano de Bergerac

• Genre: Fiction; historical drama
• Originally Published: 1897
• Reading Level/Interest: Grades 9-12; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 5 acts; approximately 240 pages; approximately 4 hours, 28 minutes on audiobook
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The play follows Cyrano de Bergerac, a skilled swordsman, poet, and musician known for his large nose. Despite his wit and talents, Cyrano is plagued by self-doubt due to his appearance. He falls in love with his cousin Roxane but believes he can never win her love due to his physical features. When Roxane confesses her love for the handsome but inarticulate Christian, Cyrano agrees to help Christian woo Roxane using his own eloquent words. The central conflict regards Cyrano's internal struggle between his love for Roxane and his self-consciousness about his appearance.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Duels; mild violence; themes of unrequited love

Edmond Rostand

• Bio: Born 1868; French playwright and poet; known for his contributions to the French romantic tradition; most well-known for Cyrano de Bergerac, which became an instant hit and solidified his reputation as a playwright; explores themes of love, honor, and self-perception in his works; demonstrated a flair for poetic language and character development; received the Legion of Honour for his contributions to French literature
• Other Works: Les Romanesques (1894); L'Aiglon (1900); Chantecler (1910); La Dernière Nuit de Don Juan (1921)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Unrequited Love
• Artistry Versus Commercialism
• The Nature of Beauty and the Mind

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the social and philosophical contexts regarding the human condition that drives the deceptive choices of the main protagonists Cyrano de Bergerac, Christian de Neuvillette, and Roxane.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Unrequited Love, Artistry Versus Commercialism, and The Nature of Beauty and the Mind.
• Plan and construct a character scrapbook that demonstrates a deep understanding of a main character and the play’s themes based on textual details, key plot points, and important quotations.
• Analyze and critique major themes, characters, and drama genre techniques to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding the perception of physical attributes versus intellect, the struggles of human emotion, the choice between artistic integrity and financial gain, and other topics.