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Not What You Meant?  There are 10 definitions for Cyrano.  Also try: Roxane or Cyrano de Bergerac.

Cyrano de Bergerac Book Notes Summary

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by Edmond Rostand
About 46 pages (13,860 words)
Cyrano de Bergerac (play) Summary

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Major Characters

Christian: A rural nobleman, Christian comes to Paris to become a Musketeer and join the Royal Guard. He falls in love with Roxane from afar. More beautiful than intelligent, he believes that he isn't witty or clever enough for her, so he enlists Cyrano's help to win her heart.

Cyrano: The titular character, he is a Musketeer equally famous for his nose as his enormous panache. As skilled with his wit as he is with his blade, Cyrano fancies himself the most admirable of all men, but can't believe that any woman could love him because of his huge, ugly nose. He helps Christian by writing love letters to Roxane in Christian's name.

Roxane: Cyrano's cousin, she is an unmarried orphan, the object of many men's affections. She falls in love with Christian because he's so beautiful, and is convinced to marry him by Cyrano's poetry.

Minor Characters

Cuigy: A minor nobleman and hanger-on, always at the fringe of Paris nightlife.

Brissaille: Cuigy's friend, another minor nobleman.

Ligniere: A drunken poet and friend to Cyrano. Cyrano saves him from an ambush.

Ragueneau: The proprietor of a famous bakery and rotisserie, he is known as a patron of the arts, and is also a poet himself. After losing his bakery, he takes on a number of different jobs, including becoming Roxane's butler.

Montfleury: A famous actor, he earns Cyrano's hate by ogling Roxane, the woman Cyrano loves.

Le Bret: A good friend to Cyrano, he tries to convince Cyrano to confess his love to Roxane.

De Guiche: A nobleman who covets Roxane. He's already married, so he plans to have Roxane marry his best friend Valvert. Whent hat falls through due to untimely death, he has his uncle, Cardinal Richlieu, order Roxane to marry Christian, under the mistaken impression that he is ugly and that she cares nothng for him. When he finds out about the scam, he sends Christian and Cyrano off to war. Finally he is redeemed when he agrees to fight alongside the Royal Guard at Arras.

Valvert: De Guiche's friend. He makes the unfortunate decision to insult Cyrano, and finds himself skewered both by Cyrano's wit, and his blade.

Lise: Ragueneau's wife, she is singularly uninterested in his fascination with poetry.

Poets: These are the lesser poets that Ragueneau supports with free pastries exchanged for poems, odes, and ballads.

Musketeer: He a friend of Lise, and they are too fond of each other for Cyrano's liking.

Chaperone: Because Roxane is an orphan, she has a chaperone with her in public to protect her virtue until she is married.

Carbon: The Captain of the Royal Guards, he is another good friend of Cyrano's.

Monk: He comes looking for Roxane, bringing a message from De Guiche. He then performs the marriage ceremony for them.

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