Cyrano de Bergerac

Cyrano is a character who extends beyond the text of Rostand’s play. While he is clearly the protagonist of Cyrano de Bergerac, calling someone a Cyrano can refer to a type of lover who hides in the shadows, only willing to speak through someone else. Cyrano is synonymous with Unrequited Love and a Cyrano often means someone who is, or feels, unattractive. In Rostand’s play, Cyrano is a swordsman with a large nose: “the man with the long sword” (13) can refer to both his weapon and his physical feature. Throughout the play, Cyrano demonstrates his incredible fighting ability, causing characters to call his sword “one half of the shears of Fate” (15). This means he is a powerful tool of the Fates, or Greek goddesses who measured out the lives of humans and cut their lifelines with scissors.

Cyrano himself considers his fencing ability and his wit to both be central to his existence. When a Cadet says Cyrano always has a clever answer, Cyrano replies, “Always the answer—yes! Let me die so— / Under some rosy-golden sunset, saying / A good thing, for a good cause! By the sword” (156). This passage combines swords and words, often referred to as the (s)word or s/word in literary criticism.