Love, Betrayal, Hubris, and Relationships in Cyrano de Bergerac

Love, Betrayal, Hubris, and Relationships in Cyrano de Bergerac

French authors and playwrights have been acclaimed worldwide for their dynamic prose, complex situations, and unpredictable endings. The same praises hold true for Edmond Eugene Alexis Rostand. Born of Provencal ancestry on April 1, 1868, Rostand was well-learned, as evidenced by his extensive childhood education as a student of the lycee of Marseille. His father was a prominent member of the Marseille Academy. As a direct result of this high influence, Rostand concluded his studies at the College Stanislas in Paris. He studied, under the direction of the then-renowned Professor Rene Doumic, the works of those creme de la creme authors held in high esteem -- Victor Hugo, Alfred de Musset, and William Shakespeare. His interactions with both Spanish and French cultures helped augment his success as a dramatic poet. Furthermore, Rostand assisted Emile Zola in supporting Captain Dreyfus, who was unjustly convicted of treason (Kahr 186).

As a Meridional, Rostand was heavily inspired by Victor Hugo. In college, Rostand found "a literary world . . . where naturalism and exoticism flourished" (vii). This attitude was formed as a result of the catastrophic Franco-Prussian War of 1870. As a member of the 1880s generation, Rostand was also influenced to become the ideal Romanticist of his time. Rostand's fourth play, Cyrano de Bergerac, afforded him the most fame. Rostand generally modeled his plays after traditional, romantic subjects and settings. A vast majority of the success of Rostand's play can be accredited to an interesting plot, a rich and sophisticated vocabulary, and real-life dialogue (to those of his lifetime). Cyrano de Bergerac, the play, debuted ...

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"Rostand, Edmond." The New Book of Knowledge. 1994 ed.

"Rostand, Edmond." The New Encyclopedia Britannica. 22nd ed. 1994.

Outline

I. Introduction

A. Background

B. Inspiration

II. Leading to Cyrano

A. Reasons

B. Rostand's style

C. Debut

III. Precis of Cyrano

IV. Commenting on Cyrano

A. Length of Play

B. Mentality of Cyrano characters

C. Examples

V. Rhetoric devices

A. Tone

1. Commentary-example 1

2. Commentary-example 2

B. Diction

1. Commentary-example 1

2. Commentary-example 2

C. Point of view

1. Commentary-example 1

2. Commentary-example 2

VI. Overall Theme

A. Major Theme

B. Subsequent major themes

VII. Conclusion

A. Issues emphasized

B. Rhetoric devices

C. Overall conclusion of Rosatnd's work

D. Clincher