The few words that Cyrano utters as the final lines of the play reveal the complex strength of his character. As he struggles to accept that he may not have achieved everything he wanted in his life, Cyrano states that there is one thing that the world has not sullied, one thing that is purely his, and that is: “My stainless plume: My pride, my pose, my lifelong masquerade.”* Cyrano has lived his life the only way he could: one hundred percent Cyrano. The white plume symbolizes Cyrano’s reckless bravery, his unmatched wit, and his audacious attitude, but also his “life long masquerade,” his lifelong deceit. He has never compromised his integrity in any situation except in the one that matters the most to him. He has never lied to anyone but to the one who matters most to him. He has never feared anything except for a rejection by the one who matters most to him. Cyrano has been all things and all in vain because of one weakness: his nose, his unimaginably large nose. Ironically, this weakness gives Cyrano more than a powerful insecurity; it gives him all his strength, all his feisty wit, and all his fearless attitude. It makes Cyrano all the more admirable because it forces us to empathize with this broken hero rather than cringe at his arrogance.
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