History Theatre / CyranodeBergerac

** Acte V is explicitely set in 1655, yet it mentions Molière's ''The Schemes of Scapin'', which was created much later (the premiere was in 1671).[[note]]In context, Ragueneau accuses Molière of having plagiarized a specific line from a Cyrano's play to write ''The Schemes of Scapin'' (the iconic "What the deuce did he want to go in that galley for?"). While ''Scapin'' didn't exist yet at the time the dialog is supposed to have happened, the historical Cyrano really wrote a similar line in one of his plays, ''The Pedant Tricked'' (1654).[[/note]]

* TakeThat:
** Cyrano and his troops are enemies of [[Literature/TheThreeMusketeers musketeers]], who are presented as lecherous thugs whose courage doesn't match their boastfulness [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and who don’t pay their theatre tickets]]. Something of this can also possibly be seen toward the famous playwright [[Creator/{{Moliere}} Molière]] (in part because, as mentioned in the play, his play ''Scapin'' was plagiarized from Cyrano). Roxane is one of the ''Précieuses'' ridiculed by Molière but is a fairly level-headed, sympathetic character. Ragueneau kind of fits the model of Molière's cuckolded characters and idolizes him, but when he finally gets a job with him, realizes his idol is an example of NiceCharacterMeanActor. Fictional Cyrano accuses Sercy, ([[HistoricalDomainCharacter the historical editor of the historical Cyrano’s books]]) of practicing VanityPublishing, [[DontExplainTheJoke implying that the historical Cyrano indulged in this practice]].

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Acte V is explicitely set in 1655, yet it mentions Molière's ''The Schemes of Scapin'', which was created much later (the premiere was in 1671).

The play is VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory -- [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrano_de_Bergerac there really was]] a French playwright, duelist, and ghost writer of love letters named Cyrano de Bergerac, and the main characters in the play (Roxane, Christian, De Guiche) also existed. This play is as well researched as a RomanAClef, because Rostand was an academic that researched France’s literary environment [[TheCavalierYears at the 17th century]], so all the [[HistoricalDomainCharacter incidental writers, poets, actors]], period pieces, places and battles [[ShownTheirWork really existed at that time]].

* ArcWords: ''Panache''. Hooker translated it as "white plume", while decades later Burgess kept it as ''panache''.

* CompositeCharacter: Le Bret and Carbon in the Burgess adaptation.

** In Act I Scene VII: Theophrast Reunadet (talented creator of the first paper, [[WideEyedIdealist famous philanthropist who died in poverty]]) shows up briefly only to be dismissed by Cyrano (''"Who cares?"''). Renaudet was homely, and this affected him throughout his life (the real Cyrano seemed not so affected by this).

** Raguenau is an expy of M. Jourdain, protagonist of ''Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme'' (a play by Creator/{{Moliere}}.)

* CombatPragmatism: De Guiche, to the consternation of Cyrano and the Cadets. Throw away the scarf that is his badge of rank ? Sure, as it allows him to rejoin his troops, rally them and lead them to a victorious charge ! Using double agents ? Any time !

** Given Raguenau’s status as the ButtMonkey in Act II, he could be considered a mere PluckyComicRelief character. Then we have Act IV where Raguenau risks his life to smuggle food to the Gascon Cadets in the siege of Arras.

* HeelFaceTurn: de Guiche, to an extent, at the end of the play. It seems that he realizes how much he hurt Roxane through his machinations, and has mellowed significantly. Even before that, he surprises everyone in Act IV by electing to stay at the front and fight alongside the men under his command who are facing Certain Doom... even though his rank as an officer would allow him to lead from the rear. Possibly he discovered then that GoodFeelsGood.

** The Duenna is an expy of The Nurse from ''RomeoAndJuliet''.

The 2019 French film ''Film/{{Edmond|2019}}'' is a fictional {{biopic}} about Edmond Rostand's writing and the first stagings of the play in the late 1890s.

The 2019 French film ''Film/{{Edmond|2019}}'' is a fictional biopic about Edmond Rostand's inspirations to write the play.

* BittersweetEnding

* AltumVidetur: Used twice by Bellerose and Captain Carbon.

The play is VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory -- [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrano_de_Bergerac there really was]] a French playwright, duelist, and ghost writer of love letters named Cyrano de Bergerac, and the main characters in the play (Roxane, Christian, De Guiche) also existed. This play is as well researched as a RomanAClef, because Rostand was an academic that researched France’s literary environment [[TheCavalierYears at the 17th century]], so all the [[HistoricalDomainCharacter incidental writers, poets, actors]], period pieces, places and battles [[ShownTheirWork really existed at that time)]].

* BerserkButton: The cadets warn their new recruit Christian not to mention the word "nose" around Cyrano if he values his life. Christian decides to show off by doing it anyway, pushing Cyrano nearly to strangle him. Some actors portraying Cyrano show him growing more visibly annoyed at Christian's interruptions and play up the comedy of his attempting to compose himself. But before this scene, he killed De Valvert for saying "you have a big nose".

* CausticCritic: Cyrano of Montfleury and The Preciouses.

* ChefOfIron: Ragueneau is a SupremeChef who is capable of cooking enough food for a regiment and then he risks his life to help Roxane smuggle it through enemy lines for the French troops.

* IdiotHero: The ideal of a Gascon Cadet -- You can do anything stupid as long as is heroic enough.

* MeaningfulRename: Cyrano's cousin was named Madeleine Robin, but as a member of [[FanDumb Les Précieuses]], she took a new name in order to reflect the change in their role in life. "Roxane" is an Iranian Name (Roshanak) that means "Little Star" and was the name of princess Roxane, who married Alexander the Great. "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_relationships_of_Alexander_the_Great Roxane was said by contemporaries to be the most beautiful lady in all Asia]]". TruthInTelevision, because the RealLife Madeleine Robin chose this name.

* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Invoked by Cyrano's improvised poem ''The Bold Cadets of Gascony'', where he describes the life of a Gascon Cadet as nothing more than brawling, swaggering, hiding they are poor, getting badass sobriquets, chasing married women, and [intimidating their husbands.

* PoirotSpeak: Ragueneau hears only a few words spoken in Gascon dialect and realizes that the Cadets are a regiment composed by Gascons. Notice those are the only Gascon words in the play (apart from some in Act IV) because the Gascon Cadets all talk in [[SurprisinglyGoodEnglish SurprisinglyGoodFrench]].

* SideBet: Cyrano has threatened to punish Montfleaury if he acts in ''La Clorise''. Raguenau and the first Marquis bet a fowl ''"a la Raguenau"'' over if he will fulfill his threat or not.

* ThinkNothingOfIt: Cyrano does not claim the credit for the victory over one hundred thugs; he even denies being the hero. Then subverted Roxane, the only person he cares about, really think's nothing of his victory.

Is there [[AnAesop a moral]]? Well, "don't let vanity hold you back," and "LoveAtFirstSight is ridiculous." The play also introduced the term ''panache'' into the English language. Literally it means "plume", feathers worn in hats and helmets, but it has come to signify confidence and flamboyance such as demonstrated by Cyrano in the play. Critics thus consider the play notable for being both a cruel satire and straight celebration of the tropes and themes most associated with the TheCavalierYears.

[[OverlyLongName Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac]] -- [[WarriorPoet the legendary poet, duelist]], [[RenaissanceMan soldier, philosopher, physicist, musician, playwright, and novelist]] -- has a problem. He has an [[GagNose enormous nose]], which he believes makes him so incredibly ugly that he thinks no woman could ever love him, and fears his love for [[KissingCousins his cousin]] Roxane will never be reciprocated. Just when he's mustered the courage to hand her the love letter he's written, she announces that she's in love with the beautiful Christian, and asks Cyrano to protect him against danger. Roxane has fallen in love with Christian [[LoveAtFirstSight at first sight]] and tells Cyrano that if Christian isn't intellectual enough for her, she would be so disappointed that she could die. Cyrano resolves to [[IJustWantMyBelovedToBeHappy subdue his love for her]] and tell Christian about Roxane’s love. Christian despairs, because he also loves Roxane, and even though he is very handsome, he's inarticulate, and believes Roxane would never accept him. So, Cyrano, trying to express his love and to not disappoint Roxane, eagerly offers to script Christian's courtship, beginning by giving him Cyrano's own love letter for Roxane. Naturally, [[HilarityEnsues hilarity]] (and swashbuckling, and eventually tragedy) ensues.

* MoodDissonance: In Act II Scene VI, Cyrano's heart is broken when Roxane confesses him that she is in love with Christian. Then the Duenna interrupts Cyrano and Roxane telling him she has eaten all the pies Cyrano give them. He comically sends her to read poems and closes the door in her face. The last four acts of this play have funny things and tragic things happening one after the other.

* StarvingArtist: From Act I through Act V (that’s fifteen years), Cyrano’s friends constantly comment on how he rarely eats well. It's not that Cyrano is a bad artist; it's just that he writes satiric letters denouncing false people –- namely, everyone.

* CrackIsCheaper: This attitude is shown InUniverse (and deconstructed) by the baker [[FanDumb Ragueneau]] in this play. His wife Lise remembers a time when he was a normal person, a SupremeChef with a successful bakery. But then he get infatuated with the poets and his lifestyle. At the first Act, he pays theater’s tickets with pies. At the second Act, he accepts poems in return from his food, [[ConspicuousConsumption he pays too much money to an assistant for baking a pie with the form of a lyre]] and cannot renounce to even one of his precious poems. He will be completely ruined in the beginning of the third Act, [[YourCheatingHeart abandoned by his neglected wife Lise]] and he will attempt an InterruptedSuicide.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Being a member of Les Precieuses, Roxane believes that if Christian is fair, [[BeautyEqualsGoodness therefore he must be eloquent]]:

[[OverlyLongName Hercule Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac]] -- [[WarriorPoet the legendary poet, duelist]], [[RenaissanceMan soldier, philosopher, physicist, musician, playwright, and novelist]] -- has a problem. He has an [[GagNose enormous nose]], which he believes makes him so incredibly ugly that he thinks no woman could ever love him, and fears his love for [[KissingCousins his cousin]] Roxane will never be reciprocated. Just when he's mustered the courage to hand her the love letter he's written, she announces that she's in love with the beautiful Christian, and asks Cyrano to protect him against danger. Roxane has fallen in love with Christian [[LoveAtFirstSight at first sight]] and tells Cyrano that if Christian isn't intellectual enough for her, she would be so disappointed that she could die. Cyrano resolves to [[IJustWantMyBelovedToBeHappy subdue his love for her]] and tell Christian about Roxane’s love. Christian despairs, because he also loves Roxane, and even though he is very handsome, he's inarticulate, and believes Roxane would never accept him. So, Cyrano, trying to express his love and to not disappoint Roxane, eagerly offers to script Christian's courtship, beginning by giving him Cyrano's own love letter for Roxane. Naturally, [[HilarityEnsues hilarity]] (and swashbuckling, and eventually tragedy) ensues.

-->'''Cyrano:''' "But what a moment."

This 1897 play by Edmond Rostand is famous enough that its plot has [[PlayingCyrano become a trope in its own right]]!