One way Cyrano shows off is through the grand gesture, in French, le beau geste. This is a dramatic action, usually done in public, that is memorable, dramatic, often dangerous, and—in the original sense of the word—awesome. After one such performance his friend LeBret says, “What a fool!” and Cyrano replies, “But—what a gesture!”

Sometimes the gesture is not so public or dramatic but involves courage and sacrifice of a type other than physical. In every act Cyrano performs at least two grand gestures, public or otherwise. Find each of these and fill in the chart below. For each gesture, state his audience (who is watching or aware of his actions), and state the quality or qualities he reveals about himself by performing each gesture.

Act 1 Gesture: Tossing the purse of gold to close the play Audience: theatre crowd Quality Shown: devil-may-care attitude; integrity

Act 1 Gesture: Fighting Valvert while reciting the Duel in Rime Audience: theatre crowd Quality Shown: poetic ability, fighting ability, cleverness

Act 1 Gesture: Fighting 100 men to help Lignieré Audience: theatre crowd Quality Shown: bravery, fighting skill, hubris (exaggerated pride or self-confidence); loyalty

Act 2 Gesture: Agreeing to help Roxane by protecting Christian Audience: Roxane Quality Shown: courage, love, self-sacrifice

Act 2 Gesture: Teaming up with Christian to woo Roxane together Audience: Christian Quality Shown: love, self-sacrifice

Act 3 Gesture: Winning Roxane for Christian in balcony scene Audience: Roxane, Christian Quality Shown: self-sacrifice, love, speaking ability

Act 3 Gesture: Fooling deGuiche by detaining him Audience: deGuiche Quality Shown: cleverness

Act 4 Gesture: Mailing daily letters Audience: no one at first, LeBret Quality Shown: bravery, loyalty, love

Act 4 Gesture: Producing scarf Audience: deGuiche and soldiers Quality Shown: vanity, bravery

Act 4 Gesture: Giving up Roxane after Christian’s death Audience: no one Quality Shown: love, self-sacrifice

Act 5 Gesture: Visiting Roxane as the good, old, friend despite his injuries Audience: Roxane, Ragueneau, LeBret Quality Shown: love, determination, bravery

Act 5 Gesture: Reading the letter Audience: Roxane Quality Shown: love, vanity

Act 5 Gesture: Dies still fighting Audience: Roxane, Ragueneau, LetBret Quality Shown: courage, spirit, individualism, panache (the courage to fight for truth)

1. Which gestures seem to be made almost exclusively for showing off? Tossing the purse of gold to close the play Fighting Valvert while reciting the Duel in Rime Producing white scarf

2. Which gestures seem to be performed in order to help others? Fighting 100 men to help Lignieré Agreeing to help Roxane by protecting Christian Winning Roxane in balcony scene Fooling deGuiche by detaining him Mailing daily letters Giving up Roxane after Christian’s death

3. Which gestures reveal a courage far different from physical courage? Agreeing to help Roxane by protecting Christian Giving up Roxane after Christian’s death Visiting Roxane daily as the good, old, friend despite his injuries

4. Another way to categorize his grand gestures would be public and semiprivate. Which gestures would be considered semiprivate, with no audience or an audience of only one or two? Agreeing to help Roxane by protecting Christian Teaming up with Christian to woo Roxane together Fooling deGuiche by detaining him

Giving up Roxane after Christian’s death Mailing daily letters Reading letter

5. How does Cyrano’s purpose differ in the public gestures and the semiprivate ones? Instead of showing off as he does in most of his public gestures, Cyrano performs the semiprivate ones out of his sense of honor, pride, and self-sacrifice.

6. Summarize your impressions of what Cyrano’s grand gestures show about his character. His grand gestures are more than showing off. Courage is often mental, spiritual, or moral rather than physical.