Pain for a Purpose: Cyrano de Bergerac's Character Redemption Anonymous College

Cyrano de Bergerac, the lead character in the play Cyrano de Bergerac, is a complicated person who is deeply motivated by his love for his distant cousin Roxane. Noble, talented, and beloved by many, Cyrano might have a chance to be with her if it were not for his large, unattractive nose. Desperate to express his feelings to Roxane, he finds an outlet by writing love letters to her on behalf of another man named Christian de Neuvillette, who she is physically attracted to. In doing so, he successfully forges a connection between Roxane and Christian, which leads to them marrying under false pretenses and Roxane falling deeply in love with someone she did not really know. Yet, while Cyrano’s actions do reflect selfishness to a great degree, he demonstrates integrity throughout the play at some pivotal moments, which saves his image to the audience by showing strength of character. The following analysis looks at how Cyrano acted selfishly with writing the letters, but how he was able to save his image to the audience through certain acts of integrity.

Looking at the entire plot, Cyrano’s decision to collaborate with Christian on the letters was deeply unethical and it rippled through Roxane’s life and emotions. Although Cyrano...