VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1[2] ]


[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 15:33:20 01/31/08 Thu
Author: Shannon
Subject: Mediated Desire in Cyrano de Begerac

One story that seems possibly full of mediated love is Edmond Rostand's play, Cyrano de Bergerac. The basic plot supplies a strong example. Cyrano and Christian both love Roxane, who in turn loves Christian but befriends Cyrano. Cyrano does not believe Roxane can ever love him for himself, because of his physical ugliness. In asking Cyrano to help Christian, Roxane unwittingly enables Cyrano to appropriate his soul to Christian as the young man attempts to woo her:

Cyrano:Eloquence I will lend you!...And you, to me, shall lend all-conquering physical charm...and between us we will compose a hero of romance!....Tell me, shall we win her heart, we two as one? will you submit to feel, transmitted from my leather doublet into your doublet stitched with silk, the soul I wish to share?"

Through this double wooing, Roxane, believing she loves Christian, falls in love with Cyrano unknowingly. Believing her love for Christian has actually matured from youthful fancy, she tells him, "I love you for your soul alone!" Christian, aware that the words which have expressed his love and evoked this change within Roxane came from Cyrano's "soul" not his own, fears the true transfer of her affections.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Post a message:
This forum requires an account to post.
[ Create Account ]
[ Login ]
[ Contact Forum Admin ]


Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.