Symbolic Settings In Cyrano De Bergerac

From War Zone to Holy Land: Rostand’s symbolic settings in Cyrano de Bergerac
Throughout Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand purposefully implemented symbolic settings to foreshadow the actions of the characters. Each of the symbolic settings either introduces a motif, creates an allusion, or is a metaphor; all of these further develop the theme. The earlier light-hearted settings in the book juxtapose with the somber settings later in the book. This shift in setting is purposeful to represent the shift that the characters take from living honest to deceitful. This occurs since the earlier setting are a relatively carefree platform for the characters before they become dishonest. Then the setting changes bleakly to reflect the change of the tainted morals of Cyrano and Christian. The settings that primarily contribute …show more content…
The playhouse was the first setting which introduces one of the major motifs of the book: deception. The play inside the play creates the stage for the inception of the dramatic irony that the reader experiences with the plot ploys of Cyrano de Bergerac. It is also interesting that the floor is the “actual stage” (Rostand 1) of the playhouse. This relates back to the motif of deception and foreshadows how everyone is acting a role that they are not. Additionally, the characters in the beginning are the “drunkards, bullies, and gamblers” (Rostand 4) who are stereotypically known to be deceptive and scandalous. These characters are juxtaposed with Cyrano in order to illuminate Cyrano’s honorability. The playhouse, the place where the deception begins, introduces the rivalry of the honorable vs the deceitful. Each of the settings that follow