Last week I mentioned Cyrano de Bergerac, and I thought I’d leave it at just a mention. But it occurred to me that I have more to say about the play. If you haven’t read or seen the play, you might want to stop reading now just so I doing ruin any of the plot for you. Unless maybe you don’t really care if the plot’s ruined… Either way, here goes:
I used to LOVE the story of Cyrano. I used to think he was the most brave, noble, and wonderful example of manhood anyone could aspire to. In a nutshell, here’s how the play has things happen:
ACT ONE
We start at the theatre, at a performance of an actor who Cyrano, a Gascon soldier/playwright/poet has banned from the stage. It’s not Cyrano’s theatre or anything–but people know that if Cyrano doesn’t like you, and you upset him, you’d better watch out. And that’s mostly what people talk about for the first 20 minutes of the play, before we ever catch a glimpse of Cyrano. In theatre and literature courses, this is usually discussed as a classic example of really building up the anticipation of a character. I think it builds up his status, if that’s the right technical word. Anyway, it’s really effective–after 20 minutes, the audience cannot wait to see this amazing Cyrano guy people keep talking about. (the same kind of thing is done really well with Ben Kingsley’s character in “Sexy Beast.”
In between all of this, we also meet the beautiful Roxanne (Cyrano’s cousin), and the handsome Christian–they spy each other from across the crowd at the theatre, and it’s love at first sight. They’re too far apart to speak to each other, but it’s obvious they need to be together; two people as beautiful as they are.
The banned actor begins to perform, and true to the threats, Cyrano arrives. We see that Cyrano is not lacking in wit (which he demonstrates by berating this untalented actor until he runs from the stage), nor is he lacking in nose. His nose is gigantic. No one mentions his nose, though–as it’s been made clear that to do so would be to sign your own death warrant. Cyrano’s a little touchy about that subject, you see. Still, before the act is over, someone calls “Hey, that’s quite a nose you have there!” Cyrano is not only enraged that someone has the gall to mention his nose, but also that it has been done in such a terribly boring and obvious way. We then witness the famous scene where Cyrano bombastically shouts out nearly two dozen poetically witty insults someone COULD have hurled at him if they had an ounce of wit in their tiny heads–ending with a little physical brutality wrought upon the original insulter.
ACT TWO
Cyrano tells his good friend that he’s in love with Roxanne. (the fact that they’re cousins doesn’t enter into anything here) He’s a little nervous because he feels his nose makes him so ugly. But he’s bolstered by his triumph at the theatre, and a recent street fight he’s fresh from winning, and he writes a letter to Roxanne confessing his undying love for her. He places the letter in his pocket to give to Roxanne later. And, as it happens, Roxanne has just coming looking for Cyrano. She absolutely needs to speak with him, she says. His heart could not be racing faster. Could this be the moment he’s been waiting for??
Of course not. There’s three more acts to go, so we can’t end things this early, right? Right. Roxanne tells Cyrano about the beautiful man she saw that night at the theatre, and she has learned his name is Christian. Christian is a new soldier in Cyrano’s unit, and it would mean the world to Roxanne if Cyrano would watch after him to make sure he isn’t hazed by the other cadets. Cyrano, his heart breaking, promises to look after this new man Roxanne loves.
Christian knows nothing about this, though–and before long, we find him trying to prove himself a brave cadet in front of the more senior members of the unit. How does he decide to show his bravery? Why, he insults Cyrano’s nose, of course. Over and over and over. Cyrano would tear this guy limb from limb, except that he’s told who Christian is. And, of course, Cyrano has vowed that he wouldn’t let any harm come to Christian. And, of course, the crowd around the two men wonder why Cyrano is still allowing Christian to breathe.
Cyrano asks the room to be cleared for just he and Christian. Cyrano explains the situation. Christian is relieved that Cyrano isn’t throttling him, but he becomes nervous when he learns that Roxanne has fallen for him and expects a letter. Christian laments that he can’t write a letter, because he’s not good at expressing himself in words. Cyrano is, of course, good with words… but he feels he’s too ugly to love. And thus is born the idea for the two to team up–Cyrano will lend Christian Cyrano’s poetic talent, and Cyrano will vicariously woo Roxanne. He starts by giving Christian the letter he had already written to Roxanne, explaining that he had merely written it as a poetic exercise, but that it should fit Roxanne like a glove.
ACT THREE
Roxanne and Christian fall in love through their letters. They arrange a time to meet, but Christian is worried about being alone with Roxanne: what if he doesn’t know the right things to say? Cyrano could tell him, of course, but what if he forgets?
And thus we have the other famous scene from the play–with Christian below Roxanne’s balcony, wooing her with the words that Cyrano whispers to him from behind a tree. And when the words don’t come fast and naturally enough, Cyrano takes over by speaking the words himself (hidden beneath the canopy of leaves), finally able to express his true feelings for Roxanne for the first time directly to her.
He wins her heart, and Christian ascends to the balcony to claim all the kisses that Cyrano has seduced Roxanne into.
Christian and Roxanne are married that same evening. But before they are able to consummate anything, both Cyrano and Christian are called off to battle. Roxanne is devastated, but asks Cyrano to look after Christian on the battlefield–make sure he stays unharmed, and healthy. Cyrano says he can’t really promise anything, but he’ll do his best. Roxanne also asks Cyrano to make sure that Christian writes to her… and that, of course, Cyrano can promise without a second’s thought.
ACT FOUR
Cyrano and Christian are at the battleground. Cyrano has been writing letters for Christian twice a day, and delivering them by scurrying across enemy lines and back again. Christian doesn’t know Cyrano’s doing it this often–he thinks that Cyrano is writing “Christian’s” letters maybe twice a week. But the truth is revealed when Roxanne shows up on the battlefield, saying that she couldn’t possibly keep away after receiving such wonderful letters twice a day from her beloved. She’s fallen in love with his beautiful soul. In fact, the fact that he’s handsome doesn’t even matter to her anymore–she’s embarrassed that that ever mattered to her at all. She’d love Christian even if he were ugly. Maybe especially if he were ugly.
Christian can sense something’s wrong. He takes Cyrano aside to confront him. He might not be the brightest light bulb in the box, but he’s able to piece together that Cyrano is really in love with Roxanne. Cyrano says that, yes, it’s true. But please don’t tell Roxanne: Cyrano is much too ugly for a woman like that to love. Christian counters, however, by telling Cyrano what Roxanne has said: that she’d love Christian even more if he weren’t handsome. Christian urges Cyrano to set things straight with Roxanne–he wants to be loved for who he is, even if he’s not a great poet, and Cyrano is in love with Roxanne and Roxanne with Cyrano’s words. He begs Cyrano to, for once in his life, be happy. Tell Roxanne whose words she’s fallen in love with.
And just as it looks like that’s what might happen, the battle begins. And Christian is mortally wounded. He’s carried back to the campground on a stretcher while Roxanne watches him die. She cries unstopping tears over her love’s body. She vows that she will never love again, for there has never before been, and never will be again, a soul who was capable of such unbounding love and poetry and her darling Christian. Now that she has lost him, she has lost everything.
Cyrano now knows that he cannot ever confess the terrible ruse that he had played on Roxanne. Better that she let her love of Christian be untarnished, and that Cyrano squander his own emotions.
ACT FIVE
Fifteen years later. Roxanne has shut herself up in a convent, where she is attended by the nuns. Cyrano has grown more bitter with age, railing against every artist in the city. He has made many enemies, the the few friends he has left fear that someone may plot an attack on him.
Cyrano visits Roxanne every week to give her the news and gossip around town. She enjoys his visits, and the nuns enjoy his gentle teasing at their religious devotion. He’s a charming curmudgeon.
This week, however, Cyrano is late. Roxanne begins to worry whether she’ll see him at all. But not to worry–he shows up, staggering a little, and maybe seeming a little tired. But he is glad to again be joined by the company of Roxanne, and he sits down to tell her his weekly chronicle. Monday this happened, Tuesday so-and-so called so-and-so a such-and-such, etc., etc. They reminisce about the old days, and her love for Christian, which is as undying as ever. She still carries his last letter with her. Cyrano asks if he may read it, and Roxanne agrees–though she is a little surprised when he begins to read it out loud. The voice reading those words sounds hauntingly familiar… and also, it’s getting a little too late into the evening for there to be proper light–how can Cyrano still be reading aloud if he can’t see the letter in the dark of evening….?
It’s now obvious to Roxanne that Cyrano was the man she had love so long ago, and had been mourning for in the years since Christian’s death. She runs to his side to be with him… and notices that, below his hat, his head has been bandaged and the bandages are soaked with blood. She is surprised, and a little frightened, and he says that he wants to finish telling her the weekly news: today, Cyrano was murdered. One of his enemies has dropped a large piece of firewood onto his head from a great height as he was on his way to visit Roxanne.
Cyrano does not succumb to death quietly. He stands and fights as if in a sword duel. He charges against the imaginary monster of Death in front of him–parries and thrusts, all the while shouting that he will go down fighting against Death, as he has fought in his life against mediocrity, cowardice, and compromise. In the end, Death may take his life from him, but he refuses to ever relinquish his panache.
Hm. That took a lot longer to write than I thought it would. I hope you found it an interesting read. And if you did, I encourage you to go find the book, or the filmed versions–there’s a lot more I’ve left out, of course.
Also, I hope no one finds this in a Google search hoping to find some quick notes on Cyrano in order to pass a test. I may have some little bits of information wrong here and there. 
In any case, the whole reason I started writing this in the first place is: I used to LOVE Cyrano. I used to think he was the most brave, noble, and wonderful example of manhood anyone could aspire to. The power of emotion he had inside him, the ability to rise above any challenge whether it was physical or lyrical, and his uncompromising spirit and style was something I thought was brilliant.
But you know what? Pinfeathers!
A friend of mine convinced me a few years ago, that Cyrano is a coward. I didn’t want to believe it at first. I couldn’t. I disagreed fervently.
But I was argued down. And now I rest in my friend’s camp. She was right. Cyrano is a coward. He builds himself up as this hyperion thing, but really he’s just afraid to confront his actual emotions, and his actual life. He’d rather play with his toys and his skewed fairybook notions of right and honor, and whatever other bullshit he cared to cocoon himself in.
Think about what he put Roxanne through. She fell in love, deeply deeply. And then she had to watch the man she loved die. After fifteen years, the wound was nearly healed over, and what does Cyrano do? He opens up that bloody wound again for Roxanne to fall in love with the ACTUAL captor of her heart, only to watch him die moments later.
Think about what he put himself through. He never stopped loving Roxanne, and he kept quiet for those fifteen years. He thought she’d be happier that way. And he knew he’d be tormented by it, but goddamn if I don’t think he revelled in torment. The wacko notion that to be male means to keep all your emotions inside, and that enduring pain makes you stronger–so endure as much of it as you can find.
I used to believe in this kind of stoicism. It’s hogwash.
I used to be afraid to smile, lest people think I actually could be affected by amusement. Hogwash.
I would hide myself away, being a loner, knowing that friends were only a doorway to compromise. Hogwash. Humbug. Nonsense and pinfeathers!
Cyrano is not the tragic hero I once believed him to be. He’s not a tragic anything. He’s a clown.
(note: this is all, of course, related to the fictional Cyrano de Bergerac, and not at all a judgement on the actual historical Cyrano about whom I know little except that the play takes significant liberties with his life and his writings)
She said she was really enjoying them, but they never sounded that interesting to me. For some reason, I had equated them with R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps” series, and dismissed them as potential for reading.
