Cyrano de Bergerac Literary Analysis

The idea that one’s outer beauty can be overlooked and the true beauty on the inside can be acknowledged. Beauty is only skin deep, and it is demonstrated in the story of Cyrano de Bergerac. One can see that Roxane looked past Cyrano’s looks, and looked inside him where she found her love. Can inner beauty transcend outer beauty? It will be evident that people do not look for just an appearance, because looks fade and your personality will be all that is left.

In the play the character of Cyrano, is a very witty and intelligent man, but with a rather enormous nose. He had fell in love with this girl Roxane, but was ashamed to proclaim his love for her. When Cyrano finds out she is in love with this handsome Cadet named Baron Christian de Neuvillette, he becomes very upset and resentful. When Cyrano confronts Christian he tells him Roxane loves him and she expects a letter from him. The only problem with that is he has no ability with words what so ever. Cyrano gets an idea to write the letter for him, and win her over together. (Act II pg.493: Cyrano: I’ll lend you mine! Lend me your conquering physical charm, and together we’ll form a romantic hero! ) Cyrano will be the voice and Christian will be the face, and they can both be happy.

All Roxane cares about at first, men’s looks, and tells Christian his looks are why she cares for him. (Act III pg.500: Roxane: And it displeases me! As it would displease me if you became ugly.) This is how it went on, Christian got the girl and Cyrano was able to proclaim his love for Roxane. Then, it becomes evident that Roxane loves Cyrano and not Christian, because when she tells Christian how she fell in love with him over the letters he wrote to her in the last month she does not love him for his looks but for his soul. (Act IV pg.520 Roxane: I read your letters over and over until I began to feel faint! I knew I belonged to you totally! Each page was like a petal fallen from your soul. In every word I felt the flame of a powerful, sincere love…) Christian tells Cyrano that Roxane now loves him and to tell her how he feels. Cyrano never gets to do it, but before he could Christian is killed and Roxane feels like a part of her has died as well.

After Christian is killed, Roxane moves away to a convent, to life with the pain of her lost love. Cyrano visits Roxane every once in a while, on one of his trips he decides to tell her the truth about Christian and the love letters. He asks for a letter that she received from Christian; he took the letter and read it out loud. She recognized his voice, and realized it was not Christian she loved but it was Cyrano. (Act V pg. 533 Roxane: …that …[She starts] A voice that I’m not hearing for the first time! [She slowly approaches him without his seeing her, stands behind his chair, silently bends downs, and looks at the letter. The darkness is deepening.] In the end, Cyrano ends up taking his life after he declares his love for Roxane, she gives him a kiss and he opens his eyes and says “My white plume.”

Inner beauty truly is the better beauty, and in the end true love bloomed. If Cyrano was not so self-conscious about his looks he could have lived a long happy life with the girl he fell in love with. The evidence was provided, it can be concluded that physical beauty is not all there is to having a successful relationship. Being yourself is the important thing, that is the only real way to achieve the things you want in life.

Word Count: 657