Cyrano de Bergerac

Cyrano was originally named Savinien. He frequently changed his names before finally arriving at Cyrano. Few of his fictitious names were Hercule de Bergerac, de Bergerac, Alexandre de Cyrano Bergurac, and de Bergerac Cyrano.

Cyrano died on 28 July 1655, at the age of 36. The reason behind Cyrano’s death continues to be a mystery. It’s claimed by many that Cyrano had ended up in an asylum during his last days since the ‘artist in him had turned mad with numerous ideas’. Cyrano’s brother Abel was accused of forcing the playwright into such a place.

One of the best tributes paid to Cyrano by the theatre world was the play ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ directed by noted playwright Edmund Rostand.

Cyrano Bergerac was born on March 6, 1619, in Paris, to Espérance Bellanger and Abel de Cyrano. Cyrano’s father was a lawyer and was the lord of Mauvières and Bergerac.

At the tender age of seven, Cyrano was sent to a country priest for his primary education. Later, Cyrano moved to Paris, and pursued his further education from an institute called ‘College De Dormans-Beauvais’. However, Cyrano didn’t complete his degree.

Post his education, Cyrano joined the infantry, also known as the corps of the guards, and served for the forces during the year 1639-40. Cyrano was just nineteen years old at the time he joined the army.

During the ‘Siege of Arras’ in 1640, Cyrano was terribly wounded, after which he hung his boots from military services. He then spent quite some time working with noted mathematician, scientist, and philosopher Pierre Gassandi. During the days he spent with Gassandi, Cyrano also met other intellectuals such as Molière' and Chapelle. He also came in contact with David Dupron from whom Cyrano learnt his lessons in dancing.

Cyrano then ventured into writing. His first work is said to be 'Le Pédant Joué’, a play which belonged to the genre of comedy. Though this play was written in the year 1645, it is unclear about when the act was first performed. This piece of work was published nine years after it was written by Cyrano.

The very next year, Cyrano penned the introduction for ‘The Judgement of Paris’, a poetic work composed by one of his closest friends Charles'Coypeau' d'Assoucy.

One of the most prominent works of Cyrano’s career was 'La Mort d’Aggrippine’, which was written in 1646. This tragic play, which was divided into five acts dealt with the exploitation of power and growth of corruption. The play went on to become so popular that it was published in 1653, and was performed on stage twice, the following year. Even after two centuries, the play was brought back to the public in 1872.

A compilation of Cyrano’s works, titled ‘Oeuvres Diverses' which translated to ‘Diverse Works’, was published by his friend Charles Coypeau in 1653. The book consisted of works such as ’The Death of Agrippina’, 'The Pedant Outwitted' and 'The Letters’. The book was also known for a famous portrait of Cyrano which was done by one of Cyrano’s friends named Zachary Heince.