Many believed that Rostand created the character of Cyrano to base off of Rostand’s interests in the days of his youth. He took the life of the real Cyrano and created the character to represent a subject specifically suited to the talents of that famous actor. (Brenner) Rostand elaborated these traits by using his excellent imagination, and using his own ideals. Rostand made this character to portray the opposite of what people seemed to be. He felt that the French people had lost their values and ideals, the qualities that made them French and worthy of honor. He was an author who went against the authority of traditional customs and opinion. (Mason) He wanted to create this character to restore the people’s imagination and values. There is a significance with this play being based in the 17th-century. The 17th century was a period of…show more content… That if you were not imaginative and wanting of knowledge then your life would be diminished. He says that the only hope for man lies within himself, in his imagination, and in his capacity to know and profit his knowledge. (Mason) He also believed that imagination gave mankind his own control over his environment improving his quality of existence. Cyrano’s belief in this created his opinion that man without imagination should be deprived of his position and his status be reduced to of a mere speck.
The use of idealism and imagination in Cyrano de Bergerac is what made it one of Rostand’s most famous works. Rostand created this character to fix what he thought was wrong with the French world. Cyrano, a man with a restricting nose, used his imagination and idealism to conquer over everyone with dignity. He used his knowledge to create these works that made people reconsidered their purpose. Without Cyrano’s imagination he never would have been able to make the impact on the
