Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
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Book Reviews of Cyrano De Bergerac
Book Review: Incomparable wit and ingenuity
Summary: 5 Stars
Edmond Rostand established a name for himself, and a superlative magnum opus, when he wrote this singular and playful work of cunning, heroism, & love. While many may know vaguely of the legendary tale of the real Cyrano, few have surprisingly actually read this delightful gem of a play based only nominally on the man himself. Cyrano de Bergerac incorporates all that is 17th century France in a nutshell: the romance, wit, bombast, refinement, gallantry, and pompousness. Cyrano embodies all of these and more. Rostand uses a seemingly endless flow of great witticisms and a keen use of wordplay that make the play enjoyable and fun to read. It reads similarly to a Shakespeare comedy -- albeit in a much more fluid and smooth manner. The outlandish tales of Cyrano single-handedly defeating 100 men in battle, of him being a scientist, poet, and warrior all at once make for an outrageously entertaining tale of bombast and hyperbole. Cyrano, when exhorted to seek his true love Roxane by his friend Le Bret, exclaims, "Come now, think a moment: this nose of mine, which precedes me by a quarter of an inch everywhere I go, forbids me ever to dream of being loved by even an ugly woman."
Our hero, who personifies the intrepid soldier on the battlefield, rebuffs Le Bret's persistence by retorting, "So that she'll laugh in my face? No! That's the one thing in the world that I fear!" Cyrano, our affable and valiant swashbuckling hero, reveals that he is, despite the brazen posturing, a mere human after all. And, like everyone else, possesses his own unique set of fears. In the face of awkward human imperfection, Cyrano teaches us the need to transcend -- that love of another's soul must, in order for true happiness to be fully achieved, supersede the shallowness of physical appearance. A great lesson that more people should learn.
"Pardon me for having involved you in a disastrous adventure."
Edmond Rostand to the actor portraying Cyrano minutes before the play's initial performance.
Book Review: A timeless classic with an important message.
Summary: 5 Stars
Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand, is without a doubt one of the cornerstones of modern drama. Reminiscent of the renowned commedia dell'arte style, this play focuses on the woes of Cyrano de Bergerac, a perfect man in all ways but one - his unusually large proboscis.
Cyrano is one of the most relatable characters in all of literature. Over the course of the play, we discover his unrequited love for the beautiful Roxane. Roxane, however, loves Christian de Neuvillette, a handsome man who is nowhere near as intelligent or chivalrous as Cyrano. What ensues is a very complex love triangle in which Cyrano and Christian combine to form the ideal man - brains and personality from Cyrano, beauty and vanity from Christian. Cyrano writes poetry and love letters to Roxane by proxy of Christian. Thus, Roxane believes that Christian is the perfect man because he has Cyrano's eloquence as well as ravishing good looks.
Cyrano, thus heartbroken, proves himself to be extremely kind, contrary to the air of superiority he puts on when he feels threatened. He maintains the illusion that Christian is Roxane's perfect man because he loves her so much that he wants her to be happy regardless of how he feels. Even when Cyrano has the perfect opportunity to reveal the truth to Roxane, he does not want to disappoint her by telling her that it is really he who is her poet.
In a very comedic, tragic, poignant, and funny play, Edmond Rostand asks the question that is one of the universal woes of love today: looks or personality? Rostand's timeless, classic piece reaches people of all ages and provides multiple morals that have stood the test of time. As one of the most universally representative stories of true love, I recommend this for anyone who wants to answer Rostand's question or who wants to restore his or her faith in humanity.
Book Review: Jimmy Durante's predecessor
Summary: 5 Stars
This play is famous, perhaps more so than most of Shakespeare's plays but how many people have seen or read it? I don't know when I first heard of it but I knew all about it without ever having seen it or read it. It has been compared to "A Tale Of Two Cities", and to other stories with a man substituting himself for another out of some great desire, need, passion, or what have you. Yet Cyrano, with his great nose, rises above them all. Now I have finally read the play, I still need to see it.
I have given the play five stars although it has many defects, one of the most glaring being in the title character, a superman yet also a conceited man except for his looks, here he is glaringly deficient and he knows it yet he allows no one to state it other than himself. In the play he lives up to his conceit but I found it to be so bad I could not like the man himself and I did not care that he thought himself unlovely, incapable of a woman's love because of his looks, a monstrous nose that was large enough to be considered a deformity. Today there is plastic surgery, it is hard to think of a time when it was not available and so I find it hard to put myself in his place and understand all his complaints. Fortunately I grew up before such surgery became commonplace and the remnants of my memory help me almost reach understanding, a slight diminution of Cyrano's great grief would place it in my purview. The worst defect I found was in Cyrano's inability to say anything to Roxanne, and especially after the death of Christian. He is supposed to be smart, yet here he shows only stupidity. Still, it is the author's perogative to bend a character's abilities to suit the needs of the story, it does make for a great play.
Book Review: Superb.
Summary: 5 Stars
Trying not to sound redundant, this play certainly was meritorious of its praise over the centuries. The story wondrously exemplified the charming aspects of Cyrano's character that enticed the very core of me. I found that the theme of people exaggerating their own flaws, that aid the destruction of their self esteem, was accurately portrayed. This play is definitely the foundation of the classic story line of a person assisting another with a loved one, with the realization that the loved one is actually falling in love with the puppeteer, if that makes sense. Although the format of the poetic form might render many readers confused, it represents the complex depiction of early European art.
-DN
Book Review: tres tres bein
Summary: 5 Stars
Cyrano De Bergerac is a moving tale about looking past appearances. its thought provoking and enlightening, and it reveals the profoundness that rests wihtin the human soul. it is about facing your fears and going after your dreams only to understand that true beauty is in the soul.it shows that things are not always what they appear and that people fall in love with your spirit not your face. its meaning is pure and true. it reveals the wonder of the mind and the beauty of the heart! it makes one realize that the heart wants what it knows and the mind knows what it wants!! the author uses irony in a clever and cruel way, showing that tragedy is the key to unlocking doors you previously didnt know existed.