“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”-Christopher Reeve. The dramatic representation of the life of Cyrano de Bergerac tells the tale of the large-nose military official falling in love with his beautiful cousin Roxane, and of the many sacrifices he makes for her. Cyrano was more than a lover and a fighter, he was a hero. He was a hero in every definition of the word. He protected his nation and the heart of the woman he loved. Although in the end Roxane eventually found out that Cyrano loved her, he never got to spend time with her as lovers, but instead he lived in the purgatory of friendship. He gave up all he had, to make sure the love of his life was happy. If she was happy then he could be as well, even if it meant he could never be in the relationship he truly wanted. Cyrano always stood up for and helped people in need and in the play he comes across many and battles his way, whether it be physically …show more content…
The wasn’t the only sacrifice he made for her though. Cyrano helped the man Roxane fancied earn her love. He wrote to Roxane everyday under Baron Christian de Neuvillette name. Christian was a much more handsome man whom Roxane was interested in. He quickly won her love with his immaculate way with words and poetry. Cyrano won the love of the woman he loved, but received nothing from it. He had to sit by while Christian reaped his rewards. He allowed Christian to be the “face of his soul”. He also faced great dangers in winning her over. One of the many was his journey to send each letter. Because he and Christian were enlisted in the military at the time, Cyrano had to cross enemy lines to communicate with Roxane. He faced the barrels of many rifles and cannons. He would do any if it ensured Roxane’s
This is easily proven with the fact that even with Cyrano’s constant persuasion, Christian eventually feels that he needs to tell the truth about his deception with the love letters to Roxane. This continues until Roxane has to figure it out herself when she realizes, “.... How can you read now? It’s dark. And for fourteen years you played the part of an old friend who came to be amusing!... It was you,” (171-172) In actuality, Christian is a regular, fictional character in love. He’s willing to do anything to impress Roxane, but Cyrano’s deception continues, even after Christian’s death, for his own personal gain. Christian’s character also displays self-esteem issues when it comes to his personality, even if he obviously excels in physical attributes, as shown here, “Then she may be one of those aesthetes… Intellectuals, you call them — How can I talk to a woman in that style? I have no wit. This fine manner of speaking and of writing nowadays — Not for me! I am a soldier — and afraid,” (77-82).
By denouncing the value of physical appearance, Roxane renders Christian an insignificant and pointless part of the composite romantic hero. Nonetheless, his death also prevents Cyrano from telling Roxane the truth and perhaps from making a moral mistake—dishonestly
From the play Cyrano de Bergerac, two of the main characters are at odds fighting to win the heart of the same girl. Cyrano and Christian play as competing romantic heroes in their story, both hopeless dreamers of love and lust, both bold in their own aspects as well as incredibly insecure all at once. They also share the quality of great loyalty, and willingness to drop anything to come to the rescue of a friend. Physically, they are opposites; Christian is beautiful, and Cyrano thinks himself an atrocity. Their intellectual capabilities are also at completely different ends of the spectrum; Christian is a bumbling fool, and Cyrano can become a master at whatever task he chooses. In the aspect of poetry and the art of words, Cyrano is a true Shakespeare, and Christian is the equivalent of a second grader at best. These characters seem to be foils and, at the same time, they are wildly alike.
This love triangle will alter all of them in ways they don’t expect. At the end of the story, he dies without having a true relationship with Roxane; yet, he claims that he still dies with his integrity. I believe that Cyrano did not die with integrity, because he lied to Christian and Roxane even on his deathbed. While Christian and Cyrano were fighting for their lives in battle, Cyrano continued to send letters to Roxane, because he promised to make sure ‘Christian’ would.
Throughout literature, death scenes often portray a deeper meaning in relation to a theme or life lesson. This is especially visible in Cyrano de Bergerac, a play by Edmond Rostand. The play surrounds Cyrano, a man with a tragically large nose but excellent linguistic skills. He loves a woman named Roxane, but is unable to reveal his true feelings because he is so ashamed of his outward appearance. Roxane instead, loves a handsome man named Christian who is not as witty and skilled poetically like Cyrano. Cyrano uses his excellent writing skills to write to Roxane, pretending he is Christian. Roxane eventually loves Christian purely because of the love letters written to her, but she is unaware Cyrano is the one writing. As the play continues,
Cyrano is an intelligent man but so overwhelm with his large nose. Other people talk and laugh about his nose. Hence, he does not have confidence pursuing Roxane. When Roxane admits that she is in love with Christian, he is upset and yet found a light knowing that Christian is not eloquent in expressing his feelings for her. Cyrano proposes that Christian will use his charm and he will use his eloquence to win Roxane’s heart. As Cyrano says In Roxane’s eyes you shall not be disgraced. Together, if you will, we can gain her love…(97)”. Cyrano’s proposal indicates his desperation and wanted to love Roxane even in a secret way in which helps Christian to win Roxane.
In the play, Cyrano de Bergerac, written by Edmond Rostand, sacrifice is woven into the play’s core themes in a multitude of ways, yet none more heartbreaking than through the character of Roxane. Rostand beautifully incorporated the idea of sacrifice in Cyrano de Bergerac through Roxane’s character by surrendering her nave desire for genuine love, forfeiting her mental and physical health, and ultimately dedicated her life to her love.
This made Roxane not fall in love for Christian by his looks but instead by his personality. Roxane changes throughout the story by changing the way she loves him from looks too personality. This was a great way to make Roxane fall in love with Christian faster. Christian made Roxane fall more in love with him with the help of his good friend Cyrano.
Cyrano sacrifices his life, "Risk your life every morning before breakfast to send a letter,” when sending his letters to Roxane (Rostand 130). Cyrano puts himself in danger multiple times a day just to contact Roxane. He risks his life for Roxane, who isn’t even in love with him. This action portrays Cyrano as a character who is willing to do anything for someone he loves dearly. In another instance, Cyrano sacrifices his life knowingly, so he can see his love, Roxane, one last time by, “[he] has killed himself, Madame, coming here” (190). This action reveals that Cyrano cares more about Roxane than the wellbeing of himself. He wants to make Roxane happy, so he gives up his life for her. This example of selfless sacrifice characterizes Cyrano as being courageous and honorable. Cyrano’s selfless sacrifices demonstrates that he is willing to give up something sacred for something he believes is greater than
A tragic hero is a person who has sacrificed their lives for a principle. It is shown in the play that ordinary people can be tragic heroes. They believed so passionately in an idea that they were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, their lives, for it. There are four main aspects that represent a tragic hero. They are hubris, hamartia, catharsis and lastly catastrophe. Hubris is the excess, usually of pride, or overwhelming self confidence. Hamartia is the weakness, usually an error in judgement. Also, known as a tragic flaw. Catharsis is the tragic
Sacrifice is seen throughout the Les Miserables, because it is a prominent part of human living. Sacrifice is greater in those who have less. Hugo conveys sacrifice through the characters Jean Valjean and Fantine, showing how they sacrificed in order to gain a better life, self-forgiveness
Some people will do anything for those they love, no matter what the cost. In literature, this act of sacrifice is often exaggerated and glorified. Almost every novel contains some example of sacrifice, a giving up of something dear and precious without thought of material repayment. Victor Hugo’s novel, Les Misérables, is no exception. It is, in fact, full to overflowing of sacrifice between its different characters. Two such characters are Eponine and Jean Valjean, who each sacrifice an extraordinary amount to other characters.
The reader feels strongly for Cyrano to "go for it!" and is proud and respectful toward him because of his "magnelephant" actions.
Edmond Rostand 's Cyrano de Bergerac is considered to be a Chivalric Romance but it also contains humor throughout. The play uses comedy throughout all of the acts for a variety of reasons. Cyrano who is the main character of the play is also the largest comic influence. With Cyrano, we see him develop through comedy and learn more about his character with it, and it is not only used by Cyrano but also many other characters. Comedy is used in a variety of ways throughout Cyrano de Bergerac such as wordplay and sarcasm. The comedy is all used for different reasons, nevertheless, the humor in Cyrano plays an important role in the play.
As defined by Aristotle, A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his or her own destruction. In the play “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, Prince Hamlet is the tragic hero. Prince Hamlet can even be considered a quintessential tragic hero due to how closely he relates to Aristotle’s definition. Initially he has noble motives which were to avenge his father’s death but by the end, his flaws and bad decisions lead him to his death. The fact that Prince Hamlet’s best trait is also his downfall makes him one of the most tragic heroes in Shakespeare’s work. In these ways and more, Prince Hamlet fulfills Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.