4 h 1 minAudiobook2 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
He can face a drawn sword without fear—but can he let the woman he loves hear his own heart?
In seventeenth-century Paris, Cyrano de Bergerac fights with a sword and dazzles with words. A soldier and poet, he fiercely guards his independence. Yet he believes his appearance makes him impossible to love. When Roxane, his intelligent, poetry-loving cousin, asks to meet him privately, he dares to hope.
Roxane admires Christian, a handsome young soldier who cannot find the words she longs to hear. Cyrano lends him his own, hiding his love behind another man’s face. In Edmond Rostand’s play, this fragile arrangement unfolds amid theatrical quarrels, friendship, and war, while the powerful Count de Guiche pursues Roxane.
What you’ll discover
- A sword and a sentence Meet a man whose dazzling wit is as ready as his blade.
- Words beneath the balcony Enter the darkness where Cyrano can speak with an honesty that daylight forbids.
- Love behind another face Feel the strain as Christian borrows the words Cyrano cannot claim as his own.
- Pride without protection Watch Cyrano refuse compromises that might bring him powerful friends or advancement.
- Courage with a hidden cost Explore the painful gap between bold public gestures and the fear of being unloved.
Is it for you?
Readers who enjoy swordplay, verbal duels, and love stories shaped by pride and missed chances will find much to care about in Cyrano.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
Who’s who
- Cyrano de BergeracA gifted poet and swordsman whose pride conceals his fear that his appearance makes him unlovable.
- RoxaneCyrano’s intelligent cousin falls for Christian’s beauty and the eloquence she believes belongs to him.
- ChristianA handsome young soldier borrows Cyrano’s words to court Roxane.
- Count de GuicheA powerful nobleman pursues Roxane and holds authority over the soldiers.
- RagueneauA pastry cook who loves poetry offers friendship and support to Cyrano.
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Poetry & DramaFree to read
Cyrano de Bergerac
by Edmond Rostand· 1898
A poet lends another man words of love.
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Language: English
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
In seventeenth-century Paris, Cyrano de Bergerac can defeat an opponent with either a sword or a sentence. He is a soldier, a poet, and a fierce defender of his own independence. He also has an unusually large nose. He answers mockery with extravagant insults of his own, but beneath that confidence lies a private fear: no woman could love his face.
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The author
Edmond Rostand
1868–1918 · French poet and dramatist
Edmond Rostand was a French poet and playwright born in Marseille in 1868. He lived in Paris and later in Cambo-les-Bains in southwestern France. He wrote Cyrano de Bergerac, first performed in 1897, and L’Aiglon, first performed in 1900. He died in Paris in 1918.
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What is Cyrano de Bergerac about?
Cyrano de Bergerac follows a poet and soldier who loves Roxane but fears she will reject his appearance. He helps the handsome Christian court her by supplying letters and speeches, creating a romance in which the face and the words belong to different men.
Was Cyrano de Bergerac a real person?
Rostand takes his hero’s name from a real seventeenth-century French writer, Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac. The play, first performed in 1897, is a fictional romance rather than a faithful account of that writer’s life.
Why does Cyrano help Christian win Roxane?
Cyrano believes his large nose puts Roxane’s love beyond his reach. Helping Christian lets him give her the language and tenderness she wants, while hiding his own identity. His generosity also becomes a painful substitute for declaring his feelings openly.
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