Edmond Rostand, author of "Cyrano de Bergerac": biography of the playwright

Edmond Rostand, the future French playwright and author of the comedy Cyrano de Bergerac, was born on the first day of April 1868 in Marseilles. His parents, wealthy and educated people, accepted the whole color of the Provencal intelligentsia. They had Obanel and Mistral in their house, talked about the revival of the local culture of Languedoc. A couple of years later, the family moved to Paris, and Edmond continued his education at St. Stanislaus College. But he did not manage to study for a lawyer. He became interested in literature, especially dramaturgy. Samples for the young Rostan were the plays of Alfred de Musset and Victor Hugo.

Becoming a playwright

After graduating from college, Edmond began to lead the life of a dandy. The condition of the parents allowed it. He attended the salons, exhibitions, theaters. At the age of twenty, he wrote his first play, The Red Glove, which did not bring him success, despite the fact that it was staged at the Cluny Theater (Paris, 1888). Also comedy "Two Piero" and a collection of poems "The Muse's Pranks" were left unnoticed. The first success came to Rostand with "Romantics". This comedy in verse was written in 1891, and presented to the eyes of the audience in 1894 on the stage of the Comedie Francaise. But the dramatic comedy "Cyrano de Bergerac" glorified E. Rostand. The author radically changed the biography of a real writer of the XVII century, but the public forgave him this in exchange for the spectacular action of the play.

Who is Bergerac?

Hercule Sauvignon Cyrano was born in Paris, at the beginning of the XVII century. Since he had an estate in Gascony, he added to his surname the noble "de Bergerac". Initially, he floundered to Louis the Sun, but later changed his political views and became a fierce supporter of the monarchy. He was famous for epigrams, pamphlets. The French consider him one of the founders of science fiction, because among other works he wrote a philosophical work on the journey to the moon. Not less literary opuses Bergerac glorified a long nose. Since then, the name Cyrano becomes a household name for a person with this outstanding facial feature. Edmond Rostand, the author of Cyrano de Bergerac, took only this detail from a real historical character. The rest - love of duels, beautiful cousin and other - myths.

Brief plot of the play

In this heroic comedy in verse is told about the love of the Gascony nobleman to the witty cousin Roxane. The author of Cyrano de Bergerac gives his hero a noble heart. Knowing for himself a physical defect (a huge nose), he is afraid even to hint the beauty about his feelings. Between them only sincere friendship. Once Roxanne confesses that she is carried away by a certain Christian, who just entered the regiment of Gascon, in which Cyrano also serves. The girl fears that behind the cute appearance of the hussar lies a crooked fool.

Bergerac meets with Christian and is convinced that, that, alas, not seven spans in the forehead. In the rest, the young man is impeccable: he is good-looking, bold, kind and noble. And then the poet decides to create for the beloved an ideal image, woven together the beautiful view of Cristiano and his wit and eloquence. Further, the author of "Cyrano de Bergerac" transfers the action to the battlefield. Christian dies, slain by a bullet, but the protagonist piously keeps his secret. Inconsolable Roxanne goes to the monastery. She is recognized in everything by a poet and a duelist only ten years later, when he himself was mortally wounded.

The author of "Cyrano de Bergerac" actually revived and gave a new meaning to the romantic comedy and poetic drama - forms of poetry, by that time almost disappeared. Edmon Rostan died during the Spanish pandemic in Paris in 1918.