Cyrano de Bergerac Edmond Rostand

Summer Reading Bonus - 2014

Cyrano de Bergerac is a touching story of love, faithfulness, honor, and loss. Cyrano is based on a real person although Rostand -- like many talented authors -- has altered the facts of the story to emphasize his thematic message. The play was actually written in the late 1800's, but seems as though it should be much older since it is set in the 1600's when the real Cyrano actually lived. Rostand came from a well-to-do family and was encouraged to write from an early age.  He began writing plays for marionette (puppet) theater! He studied literature, philosophy, and history before pursuing a law degree in Paris. He never practiced law because writing was his first love.

About the PlayCyrano is written in French; you will be reading one of many translations. The time setting may be foreign to you. If you have watched movies featuring French musketeers, you may understand the period better.

It was the time of "Courtly Love."  I strongly suggest you visit the site: "The Art of Courtly Love" at Fordham University to better understand the rules of love and courtship in those days. Also a visit to Webmuseum, Paris: Baroque might help you understand the historical setting in greater depth. As you read the play, key themes to watch for include the meaning of love and sacrifice, what constitutes true beauty, friendship and egotism, and the dangers of deception.  

BASIC READING EXPECTATIONS

1.  Know the main characters by name.  

2.  Be able to summarize the play's settings, plot, & key events.  

3.  Be able to comment intelligently on the themes of the work.  

4.   Christian analysis: what Biblical truths or values did you find expressed in this piece?. 

READING ASSIGNMENT

1. Use a pink highlighter to mark the name of every key character. Copy the name of every major character into the front cover of your book for easy reference.

2. For the characters Cyrano, Christian, and Roxane, highlight in yellow two quotes for each character that illustrate their struggle to understand the meaning of beauty and love.

3. On a separate sheet of paper, hand write at least a paragraph of commentary in your words for each quote of why you chose these quotes and what these quotes show about the characters. (You would have SIX paragraphs altogether when you complete this assignment.)

 

CYRANO ASSIGNMENT

DUE DATEThis assignment is

worth 100 points. It is due on the first

Friday of the school year--AUGUST 22--at

the beginning of class.