Christian or Cyrano?

Perhaps the most pressing and prominent issue examined in the play is the differentiation between physical and metaphysical beauty. Dissecting the intricacies between Christian and Cyrano’s respective situations can be tackled many different ways. One valid perspective is that the story is simply a fictional tale, and only events occurring in the story are taken into account. Another perspective is that the play is actually examining the nature of love as a whole, comparing beauty against brains, using the characters in the story.

Judging purely from events occurring in the story, I would choose Christian’s situation over Cyrano’s. My opinion is based on the characteristics of each player. Sure Cyrano is smart and witty, but he is also very proud and abides by strong moral principles, which in the end, hinders him from experiencing love to its utmost potential. Christian on the other hand, is handsome, but possesses the poetic dexterity of a doorknob. Perhaps the main reason I would choose Christian’s situation over Cyrano’s is fact that Christian made much better use of his allotted time with Roxanne compared to Cyrano. During his short encounters, he was able (with much help from Cyrano) to kiss and marry his beloved Roxanne. Cyrano on the other hand, endures a lifetime of withheld emotion, acting as Roxanne’s dear friend, while he wishes for so much more. The predominant argument against this standpoint would be that Christian is simply to dumb and in cognitive to truly appreciate the romantic situation, and that Cyrano’s love is truer. In reality however, Christian’s love for Roxanne is just as pure as Cyrano’s; they both dearly wish for Roxanne’s happiness and well being. In no way is Christian’s love less pure or passionate. His only short coming is that he lacks the ability to express his emotions and feelings through his words. Overall, I believe that Christian’s situation is favorable, as he truly seized the opportunity to experience Roxanne’s love and tried, to the best of his ability, to reciprocate his feelings and make Roxanne happy as well.

Another was to look at the story is that it is really a satirical analysis of love itself. Rostand does much to distinguish the two protagonists from one another, creating two men that represent opposite extremes of the personality spectrum. By doing this, he compares brains against beauty in a clear manner. In the play, it is Christian’s looks that initially woo Roxanne, but it is Cyrano’s words that truly win her heart. As the play progresses, the status quo between the beauty and the brains begins to shift towards the brains side. For example, Christian almost loses Roxanne when he is unable to serenade her on the balcony. Further more, Roxanne mentions that even if Christian were ugly, she would still love him, because of his magnificent skill of verse. However, if a strong mind is truly valued above a pretty face in real life, as Rostand argues, why don’t girls around the world have posters of Stephen Hawking rather than Rob Pattinson (the Twilight guy…) or some random Abercrombie model? Anyways, through observation of the fictional dynamics in the story, I’d say I would rather walk in Cyrano’s boots, as it is his characteristics and personality that Roxanne is truly inclined to. If only Cyrano had the emotional fortitude to tell Roxanne his true feelings, this satire might have ended on a positive note, rather than tragic and heart wrenching, “I’ll just die in your arms” moment.