Cyrano de Bergerac

Much of the wordplay in Cyrano de Bergerac, a play in verse, relies on a deep understanding of poetry and poetics (the conventions and craft of writing poetry). Both the lead character of Cyrano and his good friend Ragueneau mention the Muse, with a capital letter. The Muse is a figure of inspiration that has been invoked by poets for centuries. Muses are usually female, and the term can refer to people who inspire poets; an ethereal figure (one without body or form); or divine figures, like the Greek goddesses. For instance, Cyrano invokes “the Muse” (25) when ordering the subpar actor Montfleury to stop his performance in the play La Clorise. An untalented actor or poet is an insult to the Muse. Ragueneau, a baker and a poet, says, “Veil, O Muse, thy virgin eyes / From the lewd gleam of these terrestrial fires” (59) while standing before his fireplace. This contrasts the virginal figure of poetic inspiration with the base nature of his work: cooking food in fires.

Cyrano and Ragueneau also mention the lyre, which is a Greek instrument that represents the art of poetry. Ragueneau’s apprentice creates a pastry in the shape of a lyre, “A lyre— [.