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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What famous historical figure does the Comte de Guiche claim as his uncle?

2. What two vices does Cyrano proclaim to want to slay at the end of Scene 8?

3. Why does Roxanne not want Cyrano to tell Christian what she wants him to discuss?

4. Where does Roxane depart at the end of Scene 5?

5. What false promise to the monk does Roxane claim is in de Guiche's letter?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Cyrano delay Christian's kiss in Scene 10?

2. Why hasn't Cyrano professed his love to Roxane?

3. Why does Ragueneau expect Cyrano at the play?

4. Why does Cyrano consider himself a coward at the end of Scene 3?

5. Why does Cyrano leave the theatre at the end of Act 1?

6. How does Roxane trick the monk in Scene 11?

7. How is Christian resistant to Cyrano in Scene 4?

8. Why does Cyrano truly detest Montfleury?

9. What furtive disagreement do Christian and Cyrano has at the end of Scene 7?

10. How does Roxane prevent Christian's going to battle in Scene 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Love is an ambiguous force in Cyrano de Bergerac. It guides many character's actions, both for good and for ill. Write an essay about Rostand's ambiguous attitude toward love:

Part 1) Christian loves Roxane completely, which blind him to the reality of his relationship with her. How does he pay for this love, and who else pay for it in the long run?

Part 2) To what extent do both Montfleury and Valvert pay for their romantic desires? What do they have in common and what do they respectively lose?

Part 3) The Comte de Guiche is consumed by his love for Roxane. Analyze how this all-engrossing love is the catalyst for both his most eveil acts and his finest.

Essay Topic 2

The Comte de Guiche seems to be a simple villainous presence at the beginning of the play, but he proves to be one of the most dynamic figures of the narrative. Write an essay analyzing the Comte's transformation over the course of the play. What is the root of his villainy? Why does he suddenly change? What hopes and regrets does he express in Act 5?

Essay Topic 3

Cyrano de Bergerac is a friend to the common man and a fierce enemy to hypocrisy and pompousness. Write an essay about his various successes in humbling the soft upper crust of Paris. What does he dislike about each of these adversaries? How does he humble them, and what are the consequences?

Part 1) Montfleury

Part 2) Valvert

Part 3) The Comte de Guiche in Act 4

(see the answer keys)

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