Cyrano tries to be more than he is. From Cyranos first scene to his last the reader gets an impression that Cyrano is trying to be more than he is, and trying to do more than he can. Even though, in the long run he ends up doing these things well, the reader still gets an impression that hes trying to boast about his abilities and, blow his own trumpet. Although many times the reader gets an impression that he isnt doing it on purpose and thats just his character, many of his other actions are quite blatantly boastful.
In his very first scene, in the Theatre house, Cyrano barges in on the play and insults immediately uses his ready wit to insult Montfluery and close the play. He then unafraid unlike another person challenges the crowd! Whatever it was a sign of it showed that he was brave and Proud of his abilities as a swordsman. Obviously he is brave, but an angry French crowd can be a large thing to handle, but in not showing fear himself he instilled fear in the heart of the crowd. Although this was an action of courage it was really unnecessary.
It may have made him admirable in the eyes of some people, but it also made him look haughty in the eyes of other people. This is how he makes so many enemies, and makes so many people jealous of him. Later on in the scene, insulting an important and powerful man like Valvert was another thing that looked haughty, and moreover although it takes a lot of skill to fight and make up a ballade at the same time it may be classified as an act of over-pride. Who hates to have enemies? Not Cyrano!! Cyrano in his first duet, talking to Le Bret, they discuss the events that just happened when Le Bret comments on how many enemies he must have made, when Cyrano replies, Enough.
You make me happy. Very few people like to have enemies and Cyrano is one of them. Cyrano likes to fight. He has a very bellicose personality. Also when hes about to leave to fight the hundred men ready to kill Lignere he says I feel too strong to war with mortals.
. . BRING ME GIANTS. What this shows is, he thinks hes too good a swordsman, which is another act of pure pride. Another scene where his love for enemies is shown is when once again he is talking with Le Bret and he says, It is my pleasure to displease. I love Hatred.
Imagine how it feels to faceThe volley of a thousand angry eyes– From these statements Cyranos bellicose self really shows and this constant enemy making of his eventually leads to his death. De Guiche is in a higher position of power than Cyrano. And that is a big thing and demands a lot of respect. Cyrano is a knowledgeable man and despite knowing this speaks to De Guiche like he would to anybody else- disrespectfully. This can characterize Cyrano as insolent because he knowingly disrespects De Guiche, once again probably because he likes to fight, or he thinks it makes him look good in the eyes of the watching people.
Thus he makes himself a very powerful enemy. Another thing he has pride in, is his poetry. When De Guiche suggests to Cyrano that he should show his poetry to the Cardinal, which may increase its popularity, Cyrano says that his blood curdles at the thought of him changing a single comma. Now Cyrano is a man in desperate need of money.
Doing such a thing would improve his financial position. And Cyrano does realize this too. But his pride has gone too far to turn back and he doesnt like the thought of someone else changing his own poetry, or having to live off the patronage of someone else. Cyrano also seems to think that the way he does things is right.
It isnt wrong to think so, but others need not be wrong either. When De Guiche tells the Cadets the little story about his white scarf, Cyrano deprecates his tactic saying that it was a cowardly tactic. As the ages went on bravery became less important in battle. It changed from survival of the fittest to survival of the smartest. And De Guiches move indeed portrayed presence of mind.
But Cyrano, who is still stuck with the days of old when sneakiness played no part in battle, finds De Guiches move cowardly and says that he wouldnt have done what De Guiche had done. When De Guiche correctly accuses him of boasting Cyrano also shows off the scarf, which he had by the way found. Again and Again Cyrano stuns his superiors and this time he does what De Guiche thought was impossible. And once again his actions make him more admirable in some eyes, but boastfully insolent in others. Another example of Cyrano thinking that his way is the right way is early in the play. The very first major thing that Cyrano does in the play is close the play in the first seen, just because of a personal grudge against an actor.
He closes the play by insulting and threatening Montfluery and sending him off-stage and then paying the owners for the loss. Cyrano thinks that closing the play in which he had done, was very exquisite. Its one thing to ruin peoples holidays and a whole another thing to be proud of it! Lastly something else that clues us in on Cyranos pride is when Le Bret asks him if he weeps when Cyrano replies quickly that tears are too grotesque for him and also says, Never any tears for me. Even though Cyrano does weep, he says this to keep himself looking tall in the eyes of his friend.
He doesnt want him to look at him as a weak hearted man. Therefore in order to make himself look more admirable, he says that he just isnt the type that cries. Finally, Cyranos most obvious physical flaw is his abnormally large nose. Any body would have been ashamed of such a thing, but Cyrano isnt. In his duet with the meddler he talks great things about his nose, and also says, A great nose indicates a great man. Cyrano is proud of his nose, but his pride in this matter goes all the way downhill when it comes to Roxanne, because hes very afraid that she may laugh at it.
Cyrano likes to make himself look admirable and he says so to Le Bret. Everyone likes to, and would love to be admired. But different people have different approaches to getting there. In Cyranos case he likes to do it in the blowing my trumpet way. And this also leads to him having many enemies, and eventually his downfall.
It is possible that Roxanne didnt love him in the first place because she thought him too proud. So overall this haughty, proud, and Im right, you are wrong attitude of Cyrano has caused him a lot of bad, and being different may have made his life probably a lot different than it turned out.
