Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Essays on women in literature
Depiction of women in literature
The role of women throughout history
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In the play Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand emphasizes the theme that inner beauty is more significant in romance than outer beauty. Rostand conveys this theme through the character of Roxane. Before the battle against the Spaniards, Roxane says to Christian, “You do not altogether know me… Dear, There is more of me than there was - with this, I can love more of you - more of what makes you your own self - Truly!... If you were less lovable - … Less charming - ugly even - I should love you still” (188). The character of Roxane places higher significance on inner beauty compared to outer beauty than in the past, as implied when she says that there is more of her than there was. Roxane’s focus on inner beauty is further revealed when
Superficial passion revolves around outward beauty, but true love is always found in the heart. In Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand conveys this truth beautifully. This play follows Cyrano in his quest for love from Roxanne, believing she could not love him due to his oversized nose. Little do they know that she does not truly love the handsome Christian, but rather Cyrano, the master of words.
Appeal to emotions, individualism, and intellectual achievement were three important elements of Romanticism. This essay will explore the degree to which Cyrano de Bergerac exemplifies these elements of Romanticism.
The theme of this play is inner beauty and outer beauty. In the beginning of Cyrano de Bergerac, it seems like the theme focuses heavily on outer beauty. As you continue to read on, the play actually puts more emphasis in inner beauty. Symbolism is very important in this play. The letters written by Cyrano symbolizes Cyrano’s inner beauty because what you write comes from your soul which is shaped by your personality. Cyrano’s nose symbolizes his ugliness and his insecurity. Because Cyrano knows Roxane would never consider him because of his nose, he decides to help Christian since Cyrano believes he can help Christian win Roxane’s heart. “
Life as humans is anything but perfect. In the book “Cyrano de Bergerac,” Edmond Rostand conveys the aspects of the human condition through Cyrano’s honor and cowardly behavior. As the play progresses, Cyrano experiences the upbringings and downfalls of being human. Since the beginning of the play, the author suggests that Cyrano is a humble man. Cyrano accepts responsibility for ruining the play, and offers all of his money to the actors to keep them from having to take a loss on the night's theatre performance. The author soon reveals that Cyrano has no money when he is asked to dine and responds with, “I have no money,” which suggests that he is generous. Another one of his many gifts is his wit and unique ability to articulate words. Cyrano, a true musketeer, prizes his honor above all else. It is evident that he is admired when Le Bret says, “The most delightful man under the sun!” Later when Valvert insults him, Cyrano does what honor dictates, and kills Valvert while composing a ballade, also demonstrating his skill with a sword. Lastly, in Act Two Scene Three, Cyrano cannot bear to see his good friend Ragueneau be dishonored by his wife, and he
As popular author Nicole Yatsonsky says, “Your truest friends are the ones who will stand by you in your darkest moments – Because they're willing to brave the shadows with you – and in your greatest moments – because they're not afraid to let you shine.” Similarly, in the heroic, romantic comedy, Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, Cyrano, a passionate and talented poet cursed with an exceedingly long nose, helps Christian, a handsome yet dim-witted man, win the love of Roxane, the girl both have pined after for years. Through a series of correspondences between Cyrano (posing as Christian), and Roxane, Roxane falls deeply in love with Christian. In turn, Cyrano falls for Roxane. Despite his feelings for Roxane, Cyrano backs off and allows, even helps, the two lovers get married. In Cyrano de Bergerac, playwright Edmond Rostand uses Cyrano’s relationship with Roxane as well as his friendship with Christian to prove the theme that loyalty forms a bond stronger than love.
The use of ‘wild’ in both Catherine and La Belle’s descriptions shows their similarity in nature. The similarities of their descriptions of a charming, appealing appearances compared with their saucy, wild natures demonstrate the comparison of conflict within these texts.
In The play Cyrano de Bergerac, the main character, Cyrano, is a noble idealist who fights against the harsh reality of ordinary life, and creates his own world. On the outside he is a strong man with a hard shell, but inside he is a melancholy poet yearning for love. He feels that the world bases love too much on appearance. He believes that no one will ever love him because of his grotesquely long nose. For this reason Cyrano cuts himself off of true reality and creates a world where love exists without appearance.
Control of ones tongue, or wit, and the ability to use it well is an incredibly necessary trait of an honorable individual. The cowardice of Count de Guiche demonstrates that the lack of bravery, on or off the battlefield, leaves a man without honor or respect. And finally, unconditional and extravagant love must be practiced by those men of honor, as shown by Cyrano’s love of Roxane. True honor cannot be won, nor can be bought, honor is something that can only be given by those who see these traits within a
Given that Roxane only really knows her "lover" through his letters, she builds an image of him in her mind that corresponds with the level of passion incorporated in to the letters. The image she has envisioned is of a young, healthy, good-looking, strong man whom she finds in Christian.
As in his portrayal of Desdemona, here too Shakespeare has presented a woman of beauty and culture. Her demeanor is gentle and refined though not lacking in strength or determination. Her emotions are deep, pure, loyal and e...
Cyrano has created a mental stage where women are kept on the outside and men are free to go within. Because he lacks confidence around women, he has no choice but to express his feelings by writing letters and does not have any kind of physical contact with women. When Cyrano is complaining to Le bret that he can never have Roxane he says, “With this nose of mine that marches on… Whom should i love? Why-of course-it must be the most beautiful woman in the world”(48). If a man does not have any confidence in himself, then any attemp...
This is emphasized when Roxanne realizes that Cyrano was the one who had written these letters after many years. He denies that it was him because he does not want to tarnish her memory of Christian. She recognizes Cyrano’s voice and declares how it was him she loved all this time. His fate, sorrowfully, is that they would have had the opportunity for a long lasting love if she had accepted his appearance and seen the poet underneath. His long nose stands
In King Lear William Shakespeare gives king Lear a very kind personality and a very caring father towards his daughters. King Lear possesses traits that make him a soft person one that is very, calm and gentle hearted. His softness comes out in the beginning when he exclaims he tells his daughters she who loves him the most will get all the land. Lear falls victim to the lies of Reagan and Goneril while he casts out Cordila his only daughter that did not sweet talk him and loves him truly. You learn that his daughters Goneril and Reagan want to betray him so they get the kingdom to themselves. The two evil sisters plot to kill Lear seeing that he is blinded by his love for them and his willingness to help them in times of need. The author betrays lear as king but the reader knows the plot from the beginning on to the end on what his daughters plans are for their father and how it leads into the later parts of the story.
Othello is one of the typical Shakespearean plays in that it deals with the tragic hero. Othello is convinced that his wife, Desdemona, is cheating on him with Cassio. Beginning with the aperture lines of the play, Othello remains at a distance from much of the action that concerns and affects him. Roderigo and Iago refer equivocally to a “he” or “him” for much of the first scene. When they commence to designate whom they are verbalizing about, especially once they stand beneath Brabanzio’s window, they do so with racial epithets, not designations. These include “the Moor” , “the thick-lips” , “an old ebony ram”, and “a Barbary horse” (Cite). Although Othello appears at the commencement of the second scene, we do not hear him called by his name until well into Act I, scene 3. Later, Othello’s will be the last of the three ships to arrive at Cyprus in Act II, scene 1; Othello will stand apart while Cassio and Iago suppositious discuss Desdemona in Act IV, scene 1; Othello will postulate that Cassio is dead without being present when the fight takes place in Act V, scene 1. Othello’s status as an outsider may be the reason he is such easy prey for Iago.
In every great play, there must be a villain to assist in forming the base of the plot. Without a villain, no story or play will be successful or interesting. Shakespeare is well known for his use of different types of villains in his plays. “What constitutes a villain? -- You could probably write a whole thesis on that one. I'm going to adopt a rather loose working definition - villains are people who do bad stuff.” (Dooley) Dooley’s description of villains is a very accurate summary of the description of villains. They are, essentially, people who do things that are seen as morally wrong by readers. Many of the villains in Shakespeare’s plays come across as almost sociopathic. In Shakespeare’s plays Othello, Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Hamlet, the villains are Iago, Oberon, and Claudius, respectively.