Heroism

Another unifying theme in the play is heroism, both active and passive, and Cyrano represents both aspects. Not only is he filled with bravery, chivalry, and integrity, he also has the courage to fight for his beliefs. He dares to take on one hundred opponents single handedly to protect Ligniere. He also is ready to fight Christian when he criticizes his nose, until he learns the young man's identity. To survive with such a grotesque and ugly nose, which his own mother found repulsive, is itself a sign of heroism; however, Cyrano's real heroism lies in his self-denial. He is willing to help Christian win Roxane, for he knows this is what she desires. He risks his life to send letters to Roxane, supposedly written from Christian, because he has promised her that he will see to it that her husband writes regularly from the battlefront. He refuses to tell Roxane the truth after Christian's death, even though Christian had wanted him to; he does not want to spoil Roxane's beliefs about her deceased husband. All the pain that Cyrano endures on account of the aesthetics of love, which cannot allow a beauty to marry a beast, as he himself points out in Act V, shows a genuine heroism rising above physical courage.

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