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The Library
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A character in Cyrano de Bergerac

Who is Roxane?

By the Library of Alexandria · 2 minute read · Updated 23 Ott 2026

In short

  • Roxane is Cyrano's intelligent cousin and the woman he loves in Edmond Rostand's play Cyrano de Bergerac.
  • She falls for Christian's handsome appearance and the eloquence she believes belongs to him.
  • Her love of poetry draws her toward words whose true source she does not know.

Who Roxane is

Roxane combines intelligence with a love of poetry that matches her cousin Cyrano's own. She is the woman he loves, though his fear of rejection keeps him from telling her openly.

When she asks Cyrano to meet privately, he allows himself to hope that she returns his feelings. Instead, she tells him about Christian, a handsome young soldier she has seen and fallen for.

What Roxane wants

Roxane wants Christian's protection among the rough Gascon soldiers and asks Cyrano to look after him. She also longs for a depth of feeling that Christian struggles to express in words.

Roxane and the others in the story

Christian courts Roxane using language supplied by Cyrano, so the beauty and eloquence she admires come from different men. Letters reach her under Christian's name, allowing Cyrano to express feelings he otherwise hides.

Beneath her balcony, Cyrano speaks from the darkness while Roxane believes she hears Christian. Her response brings her closer to Christian without revealing whose voice gives the feeling its depth.

Questions

Who is Roxane in Cyrano de Bergerac?

Roxane is Cyrano's intelligent, poetry-loving cousin, whom he loves without openly declaring his feelings.

Why does Roxane fall for Christian?

Roxane is drawn to Christian's beauty and to the eloquence she thinks is his. She does not know that Cyrano supplies his words.

What does Roxane ask Cyrano to do?

She asks him to protect Christian among the Gascon soldiers in his company.

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