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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. Who challenges Cyrano to a duel after he ejects Montfleury?

2. To whom does Cyrano send his pages in Scene 1?

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

4. Who warns Christian that Ligniere's life is in danger?

5. What emotion does Roxane display when reading de Guiche's letter to the monk?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Ragueneau expect Cyrano at the play?

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

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

5. What news does Roxane tell Cyrano in Scene 6?

6. What job is Cyrano given in Scene 12?

7. How does Cyrano react to the loutish Citizen's attack on his nose?

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

9. Why does Christian insult Cyrano's nose in Scene 9?

10. How do Cyrano and Christian intend to speak to Roxane at the end of Scene 6?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Cyrano de Bergerac is an individualist of the highest order. His sense of honor is self-contained, and he is unwilling to equivocate to appease a crowd. Write an essay about his willingness to make enemies in pursuit of honor:

Part 1) How does Cyrano place himself in conflict with virtually the entire city in the first act of the play? Why does he do this, and what does this say about him?

Part 2) Why does Cyrano turn down de Guiche's offer of patronage for his verses? What is the crux of his argument after the Comte storms out?

Part 3) Describe Cyrano's station in life at the end of the play? How is he regarded by both his friends and Paris as a whole? What is Rostand saying about the play of the good man in society?

Essay Topic 2

Within the overall arc of the love triangle among Cyrano, Roxane, and Christian, Rostand's play seems to contain many smaller plays within it. Each act of Cyrano de Bergerac contains a different tone to it, from broad farce, to military drama, to elegy. Write an essay about three of the five acts. What common themes do they have? How are they different in tone?

Essay Topic 3

The idea of honor in CYRANO DE BERGERAC becomes synonymous with the idea of soldiery. Focusing on Le Bret, Carbon, and the cadets of Act 4, write an essay on the the lionization of the career soldier. How do these characters deal with adverse circumstances? What do they idolize and what do they revile? How do they react to the extremities of Cyrano?

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