QUESTIONS ON ACT 1 OF CYRANO DE BERGERAC

Questions on Cyrano de Bergerac

ACT I

1. What are two themes in Act I ?
2. Identity two-three values that the playwright endorses in this act and discuss whether you agree with these values.
3. Which act sets the tone for Act I ?
4. What is the tone of Act I ?
5. What does the fact that Christian does not even know the name of this lady indicate about the conventions of love in his society ?
6. What can you infer about poets from this ?
7. What does Christian’s self-evaluation reveal about his character ?
8. How does Ragueneau’s presence add a comic note to Act I ?
9. How is one of the main themes, Cyrano’s physical disfigurement, introduced in Act I ?
10.What two figures of speech are used to describe Roxane ?
11.What do the four occupations that Cyrano’s friends attribute to him suggest about his character ?
12.What can you infer about Cyrano’s attitude toward his nose ?
13.What does Lignière help us to understand about the Count de Guiche ?
14.What can you infer about Roxane’s feelings for Christian from her gaze ?
15.Whom do you think ordered the attack on Lignère ?
16.What do Christian’s words and actions suggest about his character when he volunteers to go warn Lignière ?
17.Evaluate Cyrano’s « entrance » in Act I .
18.What do you think Rostand intends us to think of Montfleury ?
19.In what way does Cyrano’s entrance fulfill the audience’s expectations of him ?
20.Locate an example of irony in Act I.
21.Cyrano says he hates Montfleury for two reasons, but he only gives one reason ; what can you infer about his character from his explanation ?
22.Why do you think Cyrano makes the grand gesture of refunding the theatre-goers' money ?
23.When Cyrano says that he doesn’t rely on another person for protection or patronage, what theme does this reveal ?
24.How does Cyrano deal with offenses about his nose ?
25.Is Cyrano a « blusterer » ?
26.Contrast Cyrano’s and Valvert’s attitudes toward poets.
27.What is Cyrano’s motivation for his fight with Valvert, and why does he spontaneously compose a ballad ?
28.How do most people see Cyrano’s behavior ? How about Le Bret ?
29.What reason does Cyrano give for not telling Roxane of his love ?
30.When Cyrano abandons the exaggerated style of his former speeches and uses simple, natural images to tell Le Bret of his love for Roxane, what mood does this create ?