Cyrano de Bergerac (1897) by Edmond Rostand is a timeless French verse drama that blends swashbuckling bravado with heartbreaking romance. The play follows Cyrano, a brilliant poet and swordsman with an inseparably large nose, who loves his cousin Roxane but fears she’ll reject him for his appearance. When Roxane falls for the handsome but inarticulate cadet Christian, Cyrano lends him his eloquence, ghostwriting love letters and whispering speeches under Roxane’s balcony—a poignant act of self-sacrifice that defines tragicomic nobility.
Rostand’s lyrical wit (Cyrano’s duel ballad, his tirade against his own nose) and themes of inner beauty versus societal prejudice have made the play a global staple. Though set in 1640, its exploration of authenticity and unrequited love feels achingly modern.
A masterpiece of panache—Cyrano’s word, and his legacy.
