Cyrano de Bergerac Themes

Cyrano de Bergerac tells the classic story of two men vying for one woman’s love: one of them is ugly but witty, the other attractive but not the sharpest tool in the shed. The play reminds us th...

Deception is at the heart of Cyrano de Bergerac and drives the action forward. From fake identities and hidden emotions to dastardly plots and clever plans, little is what it seems in this play. De...

Identity is closely related to voice in Cyrano de Bergerac: one’s voice (or words) is the expression of the soul and is thus linked to one’s true self. Appearances get in the way, since judgmen...

Love means conflict in Cyrano de Bergerac. Barriers seem to stand in the way of every potential couple, and competition is the name of the wooing game. Interestingly, two men who want the same woma...

Principle—or lack thereof—is a determining factor for many characters in Cyrano de Bergerac. It defines the differences between the protagonist and the villain. Principle in this play often mea...

Cyrano de Bergerac is steeped in the history and culture of 17th-century France. Though the playwright lived more than two hundred years after this era, he goes to great pains to make it as faithfu...

Courage is one of the most important characteristics of Cyrano de Bergerac’s worthy hero. Cyrano’s courage is almost reckless tomfoolery and his showy bravery often invites the jealousy of othe...

The ability to speak well is the hero’s primary quality in Cyrano de Bergerac. It is no coincidence that his other obvious talent is swordplay; although, it is noteworthy here that witty banter i...

Cyrano de Bergerac is often dogged by a sense of artfulness, a sense that things are not as real or serious as they should be. This is especially true in the first half of the play and lessens as t...

Wit is the name of the game in Cyrano de Bergerac. Characters are judged by their ability to soliloquize, rhyme, and compose at the drop of a hat. Our hero character, Cyrano himself, takes pride in...

Cyrano de Bergerac takes a negative view of revenge. The one villainous character becomes the symbol of obsessive vengeance even for the pettiest of offenses. Forgiveness, on the other hand, is a f...