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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 does Le Bret announce must be done immediately upon hearing of Cyrano's injury?

2. What weapon has been used to mortally injure Cyrano?

3. How many years after the events of Act 4 does Act 5 take place?

4. What does Cyrano admit to Christian at the end of Scene 7?

5. Which famous French writer does Ragueneau accuse in Scene 6 of stealing words from Cyrano?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the setting of Act 5.

2. How does Roxane make her way to the Gascony cadets?

3. How does the cadets' attitude toward the Comte de Guiche change in Scene 7?

4. How does Roxane reason Cyrano's absence at his appointed time?

5. What declaration does Roxane make about the feast?

6. What news of Cyrano does Ragueneau bring in Scene 3?

7. What does Roxane resolve to do at the end of Scene 5?

8. What offer does Christian make to Cyrano in Scene 9?

9. Why is Christian distraught at the end of Scene 8?

10. How does Cyrano distract the Comte de Guiche while Roxane and Christian marry?

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

Write an essay about the relationship between Cyrano and Christian. How do they develop from rivals, to conspirators, to two halves of the same soul? Why does Cyrano choose to help Christian, and how does ending this assistance become impossible as the play continues? In what ways is Christian present even after his death?

Essay Topic 3

Cyrano finds solace in writing letters under Christian's name. Write an essay about his ability finally to speak his heart through the more attractive man's voice. How does this come about? What is he able to say, and at what point does he realize he has wooed Roxane and not Christian? Focus on three parts in the script:

Part 1) The balcony scene

Part 2) The letters during the siege

Part 3) Christian's farewell letter

(see the answer keys)

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