In the one hundred years since its opening night in Paris, Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac (1897) has been performed more than any other theatrical work in France. It has been translated into dozens of languages several times over and has been adapted repeatedly for film and television, for the musical theater and the opera. The title character is a prized role among actors of the past century and has been played by the world's greatest leading men, from Jean Coquelin to Jean-Paul Belmondo to Gerard Depardieu.

INTRODUCTION

CHRONOLOGY OF EDMOND ROSTAND’S LIFE AND WORK

HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF Cyrano de Bergerac

   CYRANO DE BERGERAC

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

FIRST ACT: A PERFORMANCE AT THE HOTEL DE BOURGOGNE

SECOND ACT: THE POET’S COOK-SHOP

THIRD ACT: ROXANE’S KISS

FOURTH ACT: THE GASCON CADETS

FIFTH ACT: CYRANO’S GAZETTE

NOTES

INTERPRETIVE NOTES

QRITICAL EXCERPTS

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS FOR THE INTERESTED READER