Essay Comparing Carton And Cyrano De Bergerac

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“Let no one who loves be called altogether unhappy. Even love unreturned has its rainbow.” This phrase can pertain to many different people but, specifically, Carton and Cyrano. In A Tale of Two Cities and Cyrano de Bergerac, the characters Carton and Cyrano both experienced many losses in their lives. The main loss comes from their unrequited love from whom they recognized to be their true lovers. Through their own insecurities, Cyrano and Carton are unable to get the true love they desire. Even though there is no happy ending for these two characters, they were never truly unhappy. These characters were both able to live content lives without the ones they loved. Despite the unfavorable situation, they were both able to overcome and discover …show more content…

Sydney Carton is a man full of depressing thoughts but, according to Dickens, “[If] Sydney Carton ever shone anywhere, he certainly never shone in the house of Doctor Manette…When he cared to talk, he talked well; but, the cloud of caring for nothing, which overshadowed him with such a fatal darkness, was very rarely pierced by the light within him” (Dickens 198). Although Carton is described as a smart man who, according to Dickens, could “talk well”, he is clouded with a dark sense of laziness and indifference. Slowly, he starts becoming a confident person and gains the strength to become the person he always wanted to be. Dickens sheds light on Carton’s change of character throughout his time in France by stating, “[Shall] I do well, in the mean time, to show myself? I think so. It is best that these people should know there is such a man as I here; it is a sound precaution, and may be a necessary preparation. But care, care, care! Let me think it out” (Dickens 448). By using the words “such a man as I here” shows how Carton wants to be known and have every one aware of his presence. Throughout the beginning of the book he goes through life unnoticed, almost always in the shadows but, gradually his confidence is restored and heightened. Contrastingly, Cyrano is the exact opposite. He is very confident, but reserved from the beginning. Cyrano …show more content…

By doing this, Rostand is able to show the amount of respect and fear CyranI has created. This also shows his confidence and skill because he can challenge anyone who insults him, no matter whom it might be. Although the warning was shared with the love of Roxane’s life, Christian, he still manages to try to get a rise out of Cyrano by insulting his nose. After Christian continuously insults Cyrano, he finally demands for the removal of all cadets. During this process a cadet states how “..the old lion wakes” (Rostand 96). This could also be another example of the reputation Cyrano has as a brave respected soldier. Although Christian insulted Cyrano in front of the cadets, Roland shows another side of Cyrano. Instead of battling or injuring Christian, which was in fact expected of him, he shows a nice genuine side of him. The nice side of Cyrano is heightened through his own insecurities, which results in the less confident Cyrano that has never been shown. Within the conversation with Cyrano and Christian, Roland sheds light on the lack of confidence Cyrano now has because he believes he will never be good enough for Roxane. Although changes were seen in both of them, love impacted both characters in many, but different

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