Cyrano de Bergerac

Cyrano is a famous figure of unrequited love. He fears rejection from his beloved Roxane because of his large nose and hides behind Christian, whom he knows Roxane finds attractive. Moreover, Cyrano hides his love in words: “[M]y heart hides behind phrases” (125), he says to Roxane while pretending to be Christian in the darkness under her balcony. Roxane demands that love be presented in beautiful words, rejecting Christian when he tries to woo her by merely saying “I love you” (117). However, Cyrano does not believe words will be enough for Roxane because she tells Cyrano that she adores Christian’s hair and eyes.

Hair and eyes come up frequently in Cyrano’s poetic descriptions of his romantic and unrequited feelings. He recalls a day in May when Roxane had her “hair / Drawn low, that one time only [...] After the flood of sunshine that you are, / My eyes are blinded by your burning hair!” (127). Roxane’s attraction to Christian’s curly hair can be compared to Cyrano’s attraction to Roxane’s bright hair. Her hair shows up again in the final letter Cyrano writes as Christian, recalling her habit “of pushing back a lock of hair / With one hand, from your forehead—and my heart / Cries out” (218).