Cyrano de Bergerac

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Consider the quote, “Beauty is in the mind of the beholder.” Explain the meaning of this phrase. Extend your thinking to various aspects of contemporary society which includes (but is not limited to) social and cultural areas as well as entertainment.

Teaching Suggestion: This question will lead into the theme The Nature of Beauty and The Mind. It may help to analyze the quote itself as a whole group; for example, students might identify and define “beauty,” “mind,” and “beholder” to create a common class understanding. From there, students can individually extend their thinking and apply the quote to various aspects of the modern world. Consider providing a list for students to refer to, such as museums, films, politics, authority figures, etc.

• The Met Collection provides a large inventory of artistic pieces. In connection with the theme The Nature of Beauty and the Mind, students might record their opinions about various artifacts in a journal or reading log. You might also consider showing various images and having students write their personal opinions on each one prior to sharing to demonstrate the difference of each “beholder.”
• “How Your Brain Decides What Is Beautiful” is a 15-minute TED Talk by Anjan Chatterjee that discusses how the brain detects and interprets beauty. (Content Warning: The speaker introduces the topic by discussing Sir Francis Galton, a 19th-century eugenicist. Additionally, he discusses “sexual selection” when referring to the mating ritual of peacocks).

2. In what ways does society value commercialization over artistry, and vice versa?

Teaching Suggestion: This question will help to introduce the theme Artistry Versus Commercialization. It may be beneficial for students to define the difference between “artistry” and “commercialization.” They might create a T-Chart labeled “Artistry” and “Commercialization” and gather examples of each. Below is an example:

Artistry: classical literature, culinary arts

Commercialization: novels turned into streaming-service television shows, social media cooking reels

• “Debate: Commercialism Ruins Art” features two opinion pieces written by Oxford students arguing for and against the topic. This may inspire a structured debate in your class or an additional activity where students may evaluate and identify which piece is more convincing.
• “An AI Generated Picture Won An Art Prize. Artists Aren’t Happy” is a New York Times article detailing an AI artist winning an art contest and the controversy behind considering computer-generated work as art. Discussion can connect to the themes The Nature of Beauty and The Mind and Artistry Versus Commercialization as students form detailed opinions about the purpose and authenticity of the computerization of the art world. (Subscription may be required to view.)

Short Activity

Below is a list of symbols in the play Cyrano de Bergerac. For each item, predict what idea may be symbolized in the play. Then, explain the connection between the literal item and its implied connotation. Finally, predict how each might relate to the theme Unrequited Love.

• Moon
• Fool
• Food

Teaching Suggestion: It may be helpful to review the definition for and offer familiar examples of symbolism. For example, a heart often is a symbol for love while an apple often is a symbol for education (or sin, depending on the context).

Providing a brief summary of Cyrano de Bergerac and its themes may supply a stronger context to help guide students in making predictions about each item. Asking students to tie the symbols to the theme Unrequited Love will also challenge them to access their prior knowledge and schema to create a thoughtful analysis.

• This website provides an effective overview of symbolism as a literary device while providing various examples.
• “Mining Literature for Deeper Meaning” is a 4 minute TED-Ed video that discusses how and why readers find more in-depth meaning and analysis in a text. (Content Warning: The video gives a brief overview of the classic novel Beloved and mentions that the main character kills her daughter to prevent her from being forced into slavery).

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners, including a picture of each symbol may support increased understanding. Additionally, for learners who benefit from visual and spatial organizational strategies, it may be helpful to break each line of instruction into list form, such as:

Moon

• This symbol may represent ___ because ____.
• The connection between the moon and ___ is ____. This is important because ____.
• This symbol may relate to the idea of Unrequited Love by _____.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the play.

Consider a moment in your life in which you engaged in deception. What was your justification? Do you believe that your justification absolves you of this action? Why or why not?

If you have no deceptive action to discuss, consider a character in a movie, television show, or literary work whose action matches the prompt. What did they do? What was their justification? Does their reasoning absolve them of this action? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: It might be helpful to provide examples of deception relating to each one of the themes in the play. Here are some examples you may refer to or build upon:

• Unrequited Love: In The Great Gatsby, the titular character chases after the love of his life, Daisy. After she commits an unspeakable crime, Gatsby attempts to take the fall for her, deceiving the law despite Daisy never returning his love.
• Artistry Versus Commercialization: Imagine a forger creating a replica of a famous painting and selling the duplicate for a large sum, pretending that it is the original copy.
• The Nature of Beauty and The Mind: In Beauty and the Beast, the Beast must have Belle fall in love with him despite his “monstrous” appearance to break the curse.
• “Honesty Isn’t Always the Best Policy in Relationships. Here’s When Experts Say It Might Be Better to Lie” is a Time article discussing the social and scientific perspectives on deception.
• “Liars, Cheats, and Gamblers: Literary Bad Seeds” is an NPR article detailing three classic novels where the characters participate in deception.

Differentiation Suggestion: For advanced learners, ask students to answer the prompt relating to a minimum of one of the provided themes along with their personal connection. This will allow them to start making connections prior to reading the play.