" Roxane is the lone woman, idolized as a beautiful creature of a courtly love scenario, little more. Her feelings for Christian, even before she receives letters she thinks are from the handsome and empty-headed young man, are similarly idealistic. "Roxane: His face shines with wit and intelligence. He's proud, noble, young, fearless, and handsome.... Cyrano: Handsome! Roxane: What is it? What's the matter? Cyrano: Nothing.... it's... it's... it's only a twinge of pain from this little scratch." This exchange from Act I shows the extend of Cyrano's feelings for Roxanne. However, they also show the idolizing, removed quality of the love Roxane feels for Christian and Christian feels for Roxane. Thus not only is Cyrano is unable to express his affection for the woman in literal or physical terms, because of his appearance, but none of the characters really 'touch' one another, except through verbal pyrotechnics. "Christian: I need eloquence, and I have none! Cyrano: I'll lend you mine! Lend me your conquering physical charm, and together we'll form a romantic hero!" (Rostand, Act II) The idea that voice and physique can be separated and combined to create a romantic hero is a curiously desexualized construction of love -- in a sensual scenario, what can occur when the 'voice' is gone, and the mute hero must speak in an intimate moment? The courtship through letters that is enjoyed between the triangle of the play is difficult to supplant into a 20th century context, where romance moves much more quickly -- except with a much higher degree of slapstick and humor. Thus, when C.D. "Charlie" Bates courts Roxanne vicariously by feeding his rival Chris the proper romantic words and phrases, the audience has difficultiy believeing the physical absurdity of the scenario can last forever.

Surely, a modern woman is not so naive as a French lady of many centuries ago the audience asks -- and surely a courtship cannot exist only through letters? Also, it is difficulty to believe that a woman today would be so naive in her...

Roxane's emotional experience with men as friends is so socially limited, because of the gendered nature of her society that she is excused to some extent for her unintentional cruelty, while Martin's film must make greater use of slapstick to deflect from some of the sadness inherent to the situation.
Of course, if the "Roxanne" of the film were to spend the rest of her life in a nunnery, pining over an idealized version of Chris the film would be an even greater tragedy than the play. Rosand's Christian is a good man, although not particularly witty or well-endowed intellectually. However, the Chris of the Martin film is geuinely boorish, and often makes use of crude phases around Roxanne, unintentionally offending the woman, even while she enjoys looking at him. The ideal of courtly and longing love cannot be entertained for very long in the sexualized atmosphere of 20th century romantic life -- particularly around a firehouse! The inclusion of a woman rather than a man as Charlie/Cyrano's confidant also creates a greater sense of knowingness and intimacy on a friendly level between the sexes than would ever have been possible in Cyrano's day.

Eventually, Chris runs off with a waitress who is even "cuter" than Roxanne, showing the utter falseness of appearances, and convieniently for the audience the character's utter lack of sympathy and moral shallowness. This facilitates a happy ending to the film, a film where less is at stake, as the only duels that are fought are with tennis rackets, and there are no nunneries for Roxanne to escape to, only the arms of Steven Martin.

Works Cited

Cyrano de Bergerac." Official fan website. 2005. http://www.jasondunn.com/cyrano/index2.htm[19 Mar 2005]

Rostand, Edmund. "Cyrano de Bergerac." 1867.

Roxanne." 1989.