Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac

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Edmond Rostand’s verse drama,

Cyrano de Bergerac

, is known and performed all over the world. Almost everyone has heard of its large-nosed hero. Yet when

Cyrano de Bergerac

was first performed at the Porte-Saint-Martin Theatre, Paris, on 28 December 1897, it was expected to be a failure. French verse drama was usually performed at the state theatre, the Comédie-Française, and few people had ever heard of the play’s real-life seventeenth-century hero. 

Cyrano de Bergerac was, however, an immediate and huge success. By the end of the first act, the audience was enthralled. The final curtain was raised and lowered, some say, over forty times. Critics and public were united in enthusiasm; Rostand was immediately made a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur and became a patriotic hero. He

3918 words

Citation: Lloyd, Susan. "Cyrano de Bergerac". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 November 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35207, accessed 29 March 2024.]

35207 Cyrano de Bergerac 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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