Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Cyrano De Bergerac
Book Review: A timeless classic with an important message.
Summary: 5 Stars
Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand, is without a doubt one of the cornerstones of modern drama. Reminiscent of the renowned commedia dell'arte style, this play focuses on the woes of Cyrano de Bergerac, a perfect man in all ways but one - his unusually large proboscis.
Cyrano is one of the most relatable characters in all of literature. Over the course of the play, we discover his unrequited love for the beautiful Roxane. Roxane, however, loves Christian de Neuvillette, a handsome man who is nowhere near as intelligent or chivalrous as Cyrano. What ensues is a very complex love triangle in which Cyrano and Christian combine to form the ideal man - brains and personality from Cyrano, beauty and vanity from Christian. Cyrano writes poetry and love letters to Roxane by proxy of Christian. Thus, Roxane believes that Christian is the perfect man because he has Cyrano's eloquence as well as ravishing good looks.
Cyrano, thus heartbroken, proves himself to be extremely kind, contrary to the air of superiority he puts on when he feels threatened. He maintains the illusion that Christian is Roxane's perfect man because he loves her so much that he wants her to be happy regardless of how he feels. Even when Cyrano has the perfect opportunity to reveal the truth to Roxane, he does not want to disappoint her by telling her that it is really he who is her poet.
In a very comedic, tragic, poignant, and funny play, Edmond Rostand asks the question that is one of the universal woes of love today: looks or personality? Rostand's timeless, classic piece reaches people of all ages and provides multiple morals that have stood the test of time. As one of the most universally representative stories of true love, I recommend this for anyone who wants to answer Rostand's question or who wants to restore his or her faith in humanity.
Book Review: Be sure to buy the right translation.
Summary: 5 Stars
This play is a wonderful work but I ended up originally buying a copy translated by Lowell Bair that was just awful.
The movie starring Jose Ferrer (academy award best actor 1950) used the Brian Hooker translation that preserved the poetry and impact of the original French. You will not be disappointed if purchase the Hooker Translation.
Book Review: Classy and Effective
Summary: 5 Stars
Best enjoyed in its superior French version, Cyrano is as "classy" as it gets. Simple, yet most effective, full of humor yet very sad. It is both a touching love story, and the horrible testimony of a flawed human nature constantly fooled by appearances.Book Review: Cyrano de Bergerac
Summary: 3 Stars
I am glad that I purchased this book, but I was really looking for the French language version.Book Review: Fast Service
Summary: 5 Stars
I got the product very quickly- they shipped the next day and i got the standard shipping. the product was just a described, if not better.