Edmond Rostand was a French poet, writer, and dramatist who is best known for his 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac, a romantic tragedy about an intelligent, courageous and witty man who is in love with a woman but keeps this from her due to his overdeveloped sense of his own ugliness Rostand’s work has been widely adapted and continues to be performed in theatres around the world. He is considered a master of the Romantic style and a great influence on later French theatre.
Rostand’s works, which are mostly in verse, often explore themes of love, friendship, and heroism that are still relevant today. As such, they provide inspiring and thought-provoking material for essay topics. Here are the five best essay topics related to Edmond Rostand:
1) Explore the importance of friendship in Rostand’s works. How is friendship presented in Cyrano de Bergerac, and how does it support, challenge, or complicate the story’s themes and ideas?
2) Examine Rostand’s use of language. How does he use language to build conversations and propel the action forward? Discuss how this use of language highlights themes and characters, or builds tension.
3) Analyse a particular scene in one of Rostand’s works, and discuss what makes it so memorable. How does the scene’s structure, language, and staging build the characters and themes?
4) Compare the idea of beauty and ugliness in Rostand’s works. How does the concept of beauty play a role in Cyrano de Bergerac and other works?
5) Discuss the importance of individual and collective heroism in Rostand’s works. What does heroism mean to Rostand, and how does it manifests itself both in the characters and in the play’s structure?