Book summary

First produced in 1897, CYRANO DE BERGERAC takes place in the 17th century. Rostand's classic drama presents a complex hero--one who is in the tradition of both the swashbuckling adventurer and the sensitive, more modern thinker and self-questioner. Cursed with ugliness but blessed with sublime wit and poetic ability, the gallant Cyrano loves his cousin Roxanne, who loves the handsome but inarticulate Christian. By means of his own gifts with language, Cyrano selflessly helps Christian woo Roxane--and only when it's too late does she realize that the passion and eloquence she has prized belong not to Christian but to Cyrano, and that it is her grotesque cousin she has loved all along.