Cyrano de Bergerac Identity Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Act.Line)

Quote #13

RAGUENEAU
Yesterday they played "Scapin"—
He has stolen your scene—
LE BRET
The whole scene—word for word!
RAGUENEAU
Yes: "What the devil was he doing there"—
That one!
LE BRET (Furious)
And Molière stole it all from you—
Bodily!— (V.290-294)

In this scene, Molière does the same thing Christian did—he takes Cyrano’s words and tries to attribute them to his own creation. In a sense, they both cheated Cyrano as a poet and a man by plagiarizing these aspects of his identity.

Quote #14

CYRANO (To Ragueneau)
The Scene
Went well?...
RAGUENEAU
Ah, monsieur, they laughed—and laughed—
How they did laugh!
CYRANO
Yes—that has been my life…
Do you remember that night Christian spoke
Under your window? It was always so!
While I stood in the darkness underneath,
Others climbed up to win the applause—the kiss!—
Well—that seems only justice—I still say,
Even now, on the threshold of my tomb—
"Molière has genius—Christian had good looks—" (V.295-303)

Cyrano vacillates between his pride at having won Roxane over and frustration that he doesn’t get to have her.

Quote #15

ROXANE
I never loved but one man in my life,
And I have lost him—twice. (V.324-325)

The idea Roxane has of her lover being "one man" instead of both Christian and Cyrano not only combines both men’s identities, but also resigns them to the same fate—death.