Cyrano Themes by Chilled Tesla

Appearances

chilledtesla32 — 2015-11-15 21:00:23 UTC

The theme of Cyrano de Bergerac regarding appearances is that Cyrano's appearance ruins his chance with Roxanne. It is shown that Cyrano feels this way when he tells Le Bret his dilemma with Roxanne. The theme is also indicated when Cyrano says "This nose precedes me everywhere, a quarter of an hour in front, to say 'Beware: don't love Cyrano'"(29, 568). Roxanne's appearance also plays a role in this theme because she is described as "So fresh, so cool, she'd give one cardiac rheumatism"(10, 141). This theme impacted acts I and II as it revealed Cyrano's fatal flaw and showed that he isn't as confident as he seems, due to his appearance.

Love

chilledtesla32 — 2015-11-15 21:00:31 UTC

The love theme in Cyrano de Bergerac is that love can cause one to become unsure of oneself. Cyrano, who seems insufferably confident, becomes unsure of himself because of his love for Roxanne, and Christian also doubts himself because of love. Christian is afraid that he isn't good enough for Roxanne, which is shown through him saying "I'm afraid, afraid she'll be coquetish, exquisite..."(7, 72-73). The impact of this theme in acts I and II is that it drives Cyrano and Christian to perform the actions they do, and thickens the plot by establishing a love triangle between the central characters

Courage

chilledtesla32 — 2015-11-15 21:00:39 UTC

The theme of courage in Cyrano de Bergerac is that one can seem courageous but actually be very insecure. Cyrano demonstrates this in the way he is courageous and confident while fighting Valvert, but scared and unsure with his feelings for Roxanne. While fighting Valvert, Cyrano is cocky and confident. He says "My lord, I'm thoroughly versed in churning verses out even while rattling ironware about"(24, 455), showing his sureness and bravery going into the fight. Despite this, he later says "I love Cleopatra. Have I Antony's glamour and glow and glory? And if she's Hero, though I can swim, I'm no Leander" (30-31, 623-624). Courage impacts acts I and II by showing that Cyrano has the courage and ability to win any fight, but is still unsure of himself in private.

Language & Communication

chilledtesla32 — 2015-11-15 21:00:44 UTC

Language and communication in Cyrano de Bergerac are major themes of character. Cyrano confronts Valvert and battles him both verbally and physically, excelling both ways. Cyrano's linguistic adroitness, and Valvert's lack thereof, is shown when Cyrano says "...That is the sort of thing you could have said if you, Sir Moron, were a man of letters or had an ounce of spunk inside your head. But you've no letters, have you, save the three required for self-description: S.O.T" (22-23, 415-419). Christian also says in Act I that he is afraid to talk with Roxanne and expose his "lack of wit" (7, 74). Language is an important theme in acts I and II as it is the means by which character is judged or displayed. In this instance, it is shown that Cyrano is a man of great character while Christian is the exact opposite.

chilledtesla32 — 2015-11-15 23:00:22 UTC

chilledtesla32 — 2015-11-15 23:02:58 UTC

chilledtesla32 — 2015-11-15 23:03:19 UTC

chilledtesla32 — 2015-11-15 23:04:24 UTC