How we cite our quotes: (Act.Line)
Quote #16
CYRANO
Ah, you too, Vanity!
I knew you would overthrow me in the end—
No! I fight on! I fight on!
(He swings the blade in great circles, then pauses, gasping. When he speaks again, it is in another tone.)
Yes, all my laurels you have riven away
And all my roses; yet in spite of you,
There is one crown I bear away with me
And to-night, when I enter before God,
My salute shall sweep all the stars away
From the blue threshold! One thing without stain,
Unspotted from the world, in spite of doom
Mine own!
(He springs forward, his sword lifted aloft.)
And that is…
(The sword escapes his hand; he totters, and falls into the arms of Le Bret and Ragueneau.)
ROXANE (Bends over him and kisses him on the forehead.)
—That is…
CYRANO (Opens his eyes and smiles up at her.)
My white plume… (V.374-384)
In the end, the white plume symbolizes everything Cyrano has stood for: courage, integrity, honor, and uncompromising virtue. His last thought is not of Roxane, nor Christian, nor his nose, but of the one item that represents his sense of personal identity.