After reading Act 4: What new dimensions does Roxane reveal in her conversation with Christian? What does she fail to see? What new sides to Christian do we see in this act? Why does Cyrano not tell Roxane the truth about the letters? Why does he not tell Christian the truth about Roxane? Do you agree with Christian when he says that it is really Cyrano whom Roxane loves? Explain.
How do you think Roxane would have responded if Cyrano had been able to tell her the truth about the letters and his feelings?
Comment on the different kinds of irony you find in Cyrano. Give references to any of the following topics that are important to Cyrano: inner vs. outer beauty/Idealism/Individualism/The Value of Language and Poetry/Different attitudes toward love. -ms h
I agree with Christian when he says that it's really Cyrano that Roxane is in love with. We know this because Roxane tells Christian that she has realized something. She doesn't love him for how he looks, she said he could even be ugly and she'd still love him, she said that it was his soul that she was in love with. I have no clue what Roxane would have done if Cyrano would have told her the truth about the letters. But I do know something, it would not be pretty. This whole thing is just a very, very bad situation.
ReplyDelete~Nathan Reding~
I think that Roxanne is really showing how deep and thoughtful she can be, but fails to realize that Cyrano is really writing the words. Christian realizes this and is honorable enough to no drag Roxanne and Cyrano into a big mess that continuing to lie would create. I do think that Roxane has fallen in love with Cyrano, she even said she no longer sees his beautiful face, only the words, and the words are Cyrano. I think that Cyrano is really a nice person by trying to get Christian not to tell Roxanne, but is only causing a bigger mess. It was definitely the right choice not to tell Roxane that Christian wasn't the one writing the words she loved because it allowed her to still love who she loved after he had died. They are all good people, it's jsut they don't always make the best choices.
ReplyDeleteChristian made a good point when he said that she was only in love with his soul but not him. Then again though it's sad that Christian died right after stateing that. I think Cyrano is a bit crazy! Because he wants to go into battle instead of stay away and not get killed. That's his choice though, and he's one brave puppy. Also Roxane is much smarter than she seems and really shows it in this scene by understanding that it wasn't Christian's writings but Cyrano's all along.
ReplyDeletethat was alec on the one above by the way:)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think that Roxane is starting to see that looks arent all that matter. She said that she would still love Christian if he were ugly. But she fails to realize that it is really Cyrano saying writing all of the letters. I think that it is really nice that Christian was encouraging Cyrano to tell Roxane that he loved her. I agree with Christian that Cyrano is really the one that Roxane loves, because she is in love with the letters that Cyrano has been writing. But for the time being, i think that it was good that she didnt find out about Cyrano since Christian died. She was already sad enough and if she would have found out that it was Cyrano writing and saying those things all along, it would have just made things worse.
ReplyDelete-Abby Nelson
I think that if Cyrano was able to tell Roxane the truth, she would be shocked. She might have been mad at Christian for not telling her who was truly writing the letters. She might have also been mad at Cyrano for not telling her sooner. The longer that they didn't tell her about the letters, the more it would hurt her. I think that Cyrano will need to tell Roxane at some point but he may need to wait a while with Christian gone. ~Emily
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that Cyrano never told Roxanne that he had written the letters. I was extremely upset that, she was weeping the whole time for Christian when, she should be thankful that Cyrano is alive. I think Roxane showed that she really is not all about the looks. She told Christian that she would love him even if he was ugly, because he had a beautiful soul, which, in fact, is not true. Cyrano has a lot of courage in not telling Roxane that it was he who wrote those letters after Christian died. She would not believe him, and would be appalled that would do such a thing.
ReplyDeleteDAN CUNNINGHAM
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ReplyDeleteCyrano is really big on the inner versus outer beauty debate. He knows that if he can get Roxane to look past his face and into his inner self then she will love him. It is ironic that Roxane fell in love with Cyrano's words and no longer loved Christian's face. It was also ironic that Christian died immediately after telling Cyrano that he knew it wouldn't work out with Roxane. I think that if Cyrano had told Roxane that he had been writing all of the letters she would have hated him and told Christian. If he had told her after Christian had died she would have been even more angry because Christian could not tell her it was the truth and Cyrano would seem like he was disrespecting Christian's memory.
ReplyDeleteI can't help but feel a little bad about hating Christian earlier. He was willing to let Cyrano confess his feelings, though Cyrano refused. I think it gives his character a little more depth than just his pretty face. Perhaps he does have a little more wit than I expected, though it took him awhile to figure out that Cyrano is in love with Roxane. However, it does show that he has some nobility and honour, like Cyrano.
ReplyDeleteI'm disappointed in Cyrano, as he never confesses his true feelings to Roxane, and may never be able to now that Roxane has "Christian's" farewell letter. It's sad. I really wish he had the time to tell her how he felt about her. He now knows that she'd love whoever wrote the letters, even if they were disgusting and hideous-looking. It shows she really doesn't care about looks. I think the story also shows that "the pen is mightier than the sword." Cyrano's words touched Roxane deeper than any person's looks would.
I believe that Roxane would have a shocked reaction, but truthfully, I don't really think she'd mind. She's an intellectual herself, and I strongly feel that she would eventually figure what had happened between the Cyrano and Christian, and would be surprised. She might be a little upset that they had deceived her, but I really think that she would love Cyrano. Besides, all Cyrano wanted was to make her happy, even if that meant having her be married to and in love with another man. He's noble in that manner, which is really a brave and hurtful thing to do.
ReplyDeleteI really wish that this play wasn't so short (there's only one Act left!)...
I think Cyrano wanted Christian to die thinking he was good enough for Roxane so he told him she loved Christian. Then he didn't tell Roxane the truth because once Christian died then everything changed. Maybe he could've, but I guess it didn't feel it was his place anymore. So in the end, he lost the deal. Which is sad, but if anything I have SO much respect for Cyrano, not that he would care because he's a fictional character and I'm a freshman in Iowa. Ha, anyways, all I'm saying is there better be a happy ending to this story.
ReplyDelete-Payton
I think that we are seeing a whole new side to Roxane. It shows that she is not completely focused on people's looks. She says that she is in love with the persons soul, not their looks. We also see a new side to Christian. At the beginning, we only saw his looks. Now he is showing us that there is more to him than that. When he told Cyrano to tell her the truth, it showed that he is really a thoughtful person. I think it was very brave and thoughtful of him to tell Cyrano to tell Roxane the truth. It shows he would rather be loved for who he truly is, than for something he is not.
ReplyDelete~Nicole
Ok so I just have to say that Cyrano is one brave guy. He pours his heart out to Roxane and she is completely in love with him, although she thinks it's Christian the whole time. So Cyrano plans on telling Roxane that it is really him who she's in love with. But then Christian dies. Of course that has to happen... So Cyrano, who had planned on telling Roxane the truth about his and Christian's plan, decided to do the noble thing and not tell Roxane. Why though? I don't really know, but i think Cyrano didn't want to hurt Christian because he loved Roxane so much. And because Cyrano might possibly feel guilty now that Christian's gone.
ReplyDelete*amy :)*
In act 4 we learn that Roxane used to love Christian only for his looks, but then learned to love his soul just as much as his looks, but now just loves his soul. She says she would love him even if he were ugly: that is when Christian realizes that Cyrano is the one she loves. I think Christian is right about Roxane loving Cyrano: she says she would love that soul even if the person outside it was ugly, which is why Cyrano is the one she loves: he is the soul she loves.
ReplyDelete*HANNAH*
Yes,I think that Roxane really did love Cyrano, the sad part is that she's the only one who doesn't know that. She no longer loves Christian for his looks, but for his writing and passion which is Cyrano. I think Roxane would've been pretty suprised if Cyrano told her the truth. I'm sure she'd be mad just as any other woman would if she found out the person she loved wasn't really the person she loved. But then after awhile she'd see that she knew the whole time and Cyrano and her would live happily ever after. Sadly, that isn't how it end, but it's still a really good story. Not every story has to end in happily ever after, because in reality, not everything goes your way.
ReplyDelete-Payton
Well, I'm not quite sure how Roxane would react. If I had found out that I loved and married the wrong guy and that that both guys interested in me spent most of their time lying to me and on top of that my hubby died I would probably go find a corner to cry in for a few years. However seeing as I'm not Roxane this is a hard question.I imagine she would be sad for a bit. Moving on from my deeper thoughts about Roxane's different dimensions and such. I use to believe that if Roxane had another brain, it might be lonely. Then she revealed that she didn't care as much about looks in a man as much as his soul. I figure she couldn't be as bad as I thought. So Roxane showed a side that I'm not sure either Christian or Cyrano wanted to see, but it was a nice thing to say. Roxane revealed that she actually wasn't half bad... that is till she decided to spend fifteen years mourning for a guy she married after two weeks without moving on. After that my opinion went back to what it was. It was a nice short stint of more depth to her though.
ReplyDelete~Sarah D.
I think Cyrano has changed as a person throughout the course of the book. He seemed very rude at the beginning. By the time they were at war, Cyrano seemed like a completely different man. He seemed like he was more caring for everyone, especially Christian.By the end of the book, Cyrano seems like a very nice gentlemen that has been always caring for everyone around him. To me, Cyrano has changed so much and I like his personality better by the end rather than who he was at the beginning. ~Emily
ReplyDeleteIn her conversation with Christian, Roxane reveals that she is not shallow after all and values the usage of language and poetry far above beauty. This is certainly a redeeming quality of hers. But I can't believe that, despite her wit and intelligence, she can't seem to figure out that Cyrano is truly the one writing the letters. The fact that everything is happening right under her nose and she can't seem to catch on makes her seem a wee bit slow. She then hops in her carriage to go to the very heart of the fighting. I think this was a stupid move. Nevertheless, I agree with Christian (and i feel weird agreeing with a fictional character) that Roxane is indeed in love with only Cyrano because she said it herself that she is only in love with the words. And the words = Cyrano, so by using transitivity, her love=Cyrano. Cyrano, however, doesn't tell Roxane because he doesn't want to disturb her grieving of his death through Christian...I think this was a bad move, because I have a feeling that Roxane would feel a lot better if she is told that the man she really loves is not dead. Any anger she might have for being deceived will fade. Just a hint, Cyrano.
ReplyDelete-'drienne
ok so that was really sad... I mean, why does everyone have to die?? I don't think Cyrano deserved death, he was too strong of a man to be put through that kind of thing. But he did it for Roxane, which was sweet. Cyrano was probably my favorite character. He's just a guy in love with a girl who he thinks he can never get. But he shows that love for her and by the end, she realizes how long she's really loved him. I think that it's just a sweet love story. But then Cyrano and Christian died, which was sad. But Roxane figured out that she really loved Cyrano, so he really did win her in the end.
ReplyDelete*amy:)*
In this act I think that we see a whole new side to Roxane. She decides that its the inside that counts, not just the looks. This is what Cyrano has been trying to get her to realize throughout the entire play. The sad thing is that when he finally gets her to love the soul in the letters he isn't able to tell her that it was him, not Chrisian. Even after Christian almost begged him to tell her, he couldn't do it and told Christian that she still loved him.
ReplyDelete~Nathan Reding~
Roxane in this act shows her deeper side. Meaning she figures out that it's not only the outside that matters it's the inside as well. It's sad that Cyrano died but it's meant to be I guess. I think that De Guiche should have been the one to die instead. Overall though i loved the moral and purpose of this story. What really stood out I thought was Cyrano's courage.
ReplyDelete$ALEC$
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ReplyDeleteRoxane in this act basically realizes that love should not be just about physical appearance. She now has a deeper love for what she thinks is Christian, while Cyrano stands by and helps Christian get the girl. I also agree with Christian when he said Roxane loves Cyrano not himself. Especially since she now has found a deeper feeling of love. She loves poetry and the inner beauty of a person, not physical appearance. She loves Cyrano!
ReplyDelete~Kathleen Meek
At the end of Act V i really feel sorry for Roxanne. Fifteen years earlier, the man she thought she loved was killed in a battle and she has been mourning him ever since. But, when she finally figures out it was Cyrano who wrote the letters. She realizes she is deeply in love with HIM not Christian. The day she figures out that it is Cyrano, Cyrano gets hit in the head with a log and dies. I believe this is karma, due to her shallowness at the begining of the story. Overall, i thought it was a good play though.
ReplyDeleteDAN CUNNINGHAM
I can tell right off the bat that Roxane fails to see that Cyrano actually wrote the letters that she thought that Christian wrote. She reveals that if anyone could voice their love to her like "Christian had" it doesn't matter what they look like. Yes, I do agree with Christian because Cyrano had written the letters not Christian.And the fact that Roxane had most of her conversations with Christian when Cyrano was on the sidelines saying what to tell Roxane. Cyrano does not tell Roxane that he wrote the ltters because to him it seems like something a slimebag would do, "oh, now that the competition is out of the way I can take his spot" is sort of something that a slimebag would think now that Roxane hysband is gone. -Michael Gourd
ReplyDeleteIn Act 4 Cyrano doesn't tell Roxane about how he was the one who wrote the letters. I think his reasoning behind that was to keep her happy. I think this was the same reason he didn't tell Christian that Roxane loved him instead of Christian. Cyrano's a good person in my opinion. This shows that he really cares for both of these characters, even though he was keeping them from the truth.
ReplyDelete~Kathleen J.
I just hafta start off by sayin', Cyrano had the best death in the entire history of the world!!! That was epic! He died exactly the way he wanted to, standing with his sword in his hand, battling an enemy (death). And all the puns and humor were just the best end he could have for his life.
ReplyDeleteI feel so bad for Roxane that she had to wait 15 years to find out not only that the man she loved was alive, but that he was Cyrano! I think Cyrano should have told her a LOT soon than he did. Plus, she hardly had any time to truly love Cyrano before he died. Really really bad timing.
Therefore, I doubt that Roxane would be very angry if Cyrano told her sooner, because ANYONE would be happy if they found out that the person they loved was actually alive, rather than dead.
The thing I thought was so cool was that Cyrano was able to be so calm about his about-to-die situation. I was a little confused that his voice didn't waver from weakness and he didn't act very sad. Nevertheless, this was probably one of the best ways to go: with the person/people you love.
-'drienne
whoa, i really wrote a lot :) ^^^
ReplyDeleteI did not like how it ended. I thought it was very sad. Just when Roxane finds out the truth, he dies. I understand though why he did not tell her the day that Christian died. It would have been way to soon, and I think it would have been hard for Roxane to believe him. Overall, I thought it was a good play.
ReplyDelete~Nicole
I belive that after act 4 Roxane shows alot more depth of character. She transforms from a selfish materialistic creature, to a loving and intelligent person. I believe that she shows true loyalty to Christian's(Cyrano's) words that she is willing to die for them. I do not quite understand Cyrano's reasoning for not telling her of his love. I think that it was because he fears one thing. REJECTION! I think that, since he has been rejected as ugly his whole life he takes it to mean that he is unlovable.
ReplyDeleteP.S Pray for my uncle lin, they take him off life-support today
Luc The Magnificant.
Cyrano’s Death was very dramatic, but only because he made it so. Getting killed by a piece of accidentally dropped firewood would appear quite uninspiring and perhaps slightly comical in a macabre way. Only Cyrano could make such a death so epic.
ReplyDeleteThe ending if the play was sad. I really felt bad for Cyrano because he was such a good person. Still, it would have been a good deal more tragic if Roxane hadn’t discovered Cyrano’s love for her.
In Act 4 I think Roxanne shows a lot of maturity. Christian turned out to be a lot wiser than I thought because of how he knew that Roxanne was really in love with Cyrano. I really liked him better because he was willing to give up everything he had with Roxanne and give it to Cyrano. I liked how Cyrano could of told Roxanne that he wrote the letters, but he thought of their feelings and was a gentleman about it. He could of ruined Roxanne's life because she would have found out that the man that she loved was just a lie.
ReplyDelete~Katie K.~
Okay my first thought would be that Roxane would think that Cyrano is just trying to take the credit of writing the letters from Christian. But when I think about it a little more deeply I don't know what to think Roxane would think about Cyrano for telling her the truth. I sort of think that she would be not angry but confused a little, maybe? because she would realize that she married a person who loved her but that she decided to love him back after hearing "his" words of love. Oh, the irony so much irony there is, in Cyrano de Bergerac, all the different types of irony. There is the dramtic irony of us knowing that Cyrano loves Roxane but she does not know that, that Christian and Cyrano know that Cyrano has been giving his words of love to Christian so that Roxane will love Christian. The verbal irony, there as to be some of that when the main character has the nose that would put Mount Rushmore to shame. I too loved this play I thought it was great I liked it better than Romeo & Juliet, I know it is not very pertinent I just wanted to say it. -Michael Gourd signing off.
ReplyDeleteIn Act IV, we see a different side to Roxane. Before, people thought that she was just a shallow person who didn't see past looks. Now, we all know that she is much deeper. Now we know that she truly loves Christian for his(Cyrano's) mind. We also see a different side to Christian. He is truly a good person, and he is not as ignorant as everybody thought. He cares about others, more than himself. Cyrano knows that it is he that Roxane truly loves, but he is too good of a person to tell her after Christian dies. He cares too much about Roxane's, and Christian's,happiness to tell her the truth, even though it must have killed him inside. He has great strength to be able to do something like that. -Sarah Split
ReplyDeleteabout the end-
ReplyDeletefirst of all the very end of the play made no sense to me at all- but second, i think it was cool how Roxane loved Cyrano when she figured out it was his soul she loved because at first i thought she was just saying that she would love Christian even if he was ugly and not realize what she was saying but it turns out she really would have loved him if he were ugly.
*HANNAH*
In act 5 i thought that Roxane was a totally different person. It seemed like she really changed a lot. I thought that it was really nice that Cyrano and her still saw her every day. I dont really understand how Cyrano could be walking around and whatnot with a hole in his head? I felt really bad for Roxane because she figured out that all along she loved Cyrano, and then he died.
ReplyDelete-Abby nelson
I think that Roxane shows that she is more then just a pretty face. She shows how truely thoughtful and intelligent she can be. The one thing she lacks is the ability to realize that Christian isn't the one writing the letters. We also see that Christian has matured a great deal and realizes that Roxane doesn't actually like him. He understands that Cyrano has a deep love for Roxane and Roxane feels the same even though she doesn't realize it.
ReplyDeleteChristian really shows his depth in Act 4. He realizes that Roxane isn't in love with his face anymore, but that she is in love with Cyrano and Cyrano is in love with her. He decides that he can't live with the fact that she really doesn't love him, even though she thinks she does. He would rather give her up and have Cyrano tell her the truth. And when he dies, Cyrano tells him that Roxane chose Chrstian just so he would be happy. Both are very exceptional people who care more about others than themselves.
ReplyDelete-Sadie
I believe that if Roxane would have know that Cyrano was the one who wrote the letters, she would have been happy. At the end of the book when she finds out she seems more happy and then sad then angry. Cyrano deeply values language and poetry. He believes that words can be as strong as action. He believes that words can conquer all.
ReplyDeleteI think Christian showed a sign of maturity. He got smart and he started thinking about someone other than himself. He believed that Roxanne was in love with Cyrano and he still loved Roxanne but he was willing to give it all up to be a good friend. Roxanne also showed great maturity. She got smart and stopped caring about how people look and started caring about their personality. It was motivational. I thought it was really sad when Christian died because we were just starting to see a whole new side of him.
ReplyDelete~Katie K.~
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ReplyDeleteIf Cyrano would have told Roxane the truth, I think that she would have just been shocked and confused, followed by anger and rage. I would be mad too, knowing that my love for someone was all just a big lie. For the inner vs. outer beauty with Cyrano, I am not entirely sure. We all want to believe that all he cares about is inner, but I don't think that is the truth. If all he cared about was inner beauty, then why would he always be so self-conscious and not confident of his own looks? -Sarah Split
ReplyDeleteI think that if Cyrano had told Roxane the truth about who was writing the letters, she would have been angry with him. Eventually, though, she would become happy because her love would not have really died. At the end of the play she didn't seem very angry with Cyrano when she found out that it was he who was writing the love letters. But then, you would have to be cruel to be mad with a dieing man who is in great pain. I think that Roxane would just be sad that she hadn't known of Cyrano's love earlier.
ReplyDelete-Anthony
I believe that Christian is a truly self sacrificing person, in some ways. It is not as prominent as the way in which Cyrano is self giving. Cyrano gives of his money and time and his sacrifice is evident throughout the story. Christian only gives of himself when he realizes that Roxanne loves Cyrano, so he does what is best for her and gives her to Cyrano.
ReplyDeleteP.S. my uncle died this mourning, you can stop praying or continue to pray for his sole
Luc The Magnificant
soul
ReplyDeleteI think that in this act Christian shows that he is really a caring person. He shows that he has learned learned a lot about what it means to love someone. He finds out that Roxane actually loves Cyrano, which makes him seen like a pretty smart guy. He was the one who first learned that looks don't matter. It's sad though, because right when we start to like Christian, he dies.
ReplyDelete~KaThLeEn J.
i would have thought that Roxane was going to be very upset and not believe Cyrano if he told her that he was the one writing the letters. But when Roxane finally found out that it was Cyrano who wrote the letters, I thought she was going to be much more upset than she was. She was more overwhelmed and sorry that she didn't realize it earlier. Cyrano has come to be a very selfless person filled with different grand gestures and poetry.
ReplyDeleteThe blog for December 7 2009 5:16 AM was mine and either I or someone must have accidently deleted it so here it is again. Sorry this wasn't done sooner, it was because of all the snow. This caused many problems for my families electrical appliances.
ReplyDeleteI think that Christian doesn't deserve Roxane. I don't see why Cyrano would help someone like that especially if he knew?? i personally if i loved someone that much would show it as much as i could threw me but with out completely taking away the other persons chances. I would go for it all without hurting the other person. I also think Roxane is DUMB!!!!!!!!!!! If the christian can write a letter soooo amazingly the cant even talk to you, you would think that that would be a major new flash!!! I know i would get suspicious. I love this play but i feel so bad for Cyrano you would think that someone would think of him for a change?
~Kathleen Meek
Roxane reveals how much she can care about a person but she fails to realize that Christian doesn't have the intellect to have such deep meaning in the words of the letters that Cyrano writes to her every day. Cyrano wont tell Roxane it was him because he's afraid of her reaction. And he doesn't tell Christian the truth about Roxane because he wants Christian, who was dying during the scene, to be happy when he dies. I agree with Christian because Roxane wouldn't care if Christian was ugly because of the letters, which Cyrano actually wrote. I think without any proof of him writing the letters, she would have hated his jealousy of Roxane's love towards Christian.
ReplyDelete