Cyrano de Bergerac, written by Edmond Rostand and translated by Brian Hooker, is a play involving a love triangle. Cyrano represents the idealistic point of view. He wants to protect Roxane no matter the cost, even if it means lying to her. He is a very strong character who is confident in his abilities. These qualities are revealed many times throughout the story, but prominently in Act 1 when Cyrano is in a poetic duel with Valvert. Valvert attempts to demean Cyrano by insulting his rather large nose. His plan backfires when Cyrano respond with a long list of insults Valvert could have used instead. Instead of getting embarrassed, Cyrano stood his ground. This reveals a lot about his character. Cyrano de Bergurac is a proud and confident…show more content… He speaks the different insults in an amusing style. He quotes, “Mon dieu, why waste -- Your opportunity?”(Rostand 1.36). Cyrano is not literally asking Valvert this query. Instead, he is sarcastically stating a rhetorical question. He follows this question with many humorous insults. Each remark is meant to be spoken in a certain way. The style in which Cyrano says these remarks helps to support his humorous and sarcastic side that Cyrano conveys during this speech. He uses his sarcasm to make Valvert feel defeated and humiliated for attempted to insult Cyrano, but failing. This is evident when he speaks, “These my dear sir, are things you might have said -- Had you some tinge of letters, or of wit -- To color your discourse. But wit, ---not so, -- You never had an atom…”(Rostand 1.37). Ironically, by insulting himself with intelligent remarks, Cyrano is proving he has more to offer than just his nose. He could have gotten angry or cowered at the feet of Valvert, but instead he used his humor and wit to humble Valvert. Cyrano’s poetic humor was proven successful when Valvert was taken…show more content… Cyrano rises higher than Valvert and does not sink to his level of demeaning others. This speech represents Cyrano well because it divulges information about Cyrano’s character. Both the dialect and the style in which Cyrano delivers the speech play a key role in shaping his personality and values. He is an idealist who sticks to his beliefs and promises, even if it is unpractical. Throughout all of Cyrano de Bergerac, Cyrano has followed his own beliefs. He protected the ones he truly cared about, both physically and emotionally. No matter what obstacles he faced, he continued with his heart. Someone can not control every situation and its outcome, but they can control their attitude and how they deal with
