Yes, some men are actually honorable

The play Cyrano De Bergerac, written by Edmond Rostand, portrays a character named Cyrano who is an honest, honorable man. Everything he does is to preserve his honor. This idea of honor to Cyrano is no more instilled into the audience then when Cyrano and De Guiche are having a conversation about war and how De Guiche got away from the Spaniards by taking off a white plume that shows his rank. Cyrano replies “I think that Henry the Fourth would have never given up his white plume, even when surrounded by the enemy… I don’t believe in declining the honor of being a target” (162). Cyrano then commences to put on this white plume. He is not only inspiring the troops, but he is also doing the honorable thing. He ends up wearing this white plume to keep honor, and show that he can not only say things, but he can also back them up.

As Cyrano’s life goes on, he stays true to his word and honor. Instead of focusing on using his skills to take from others, he attacks people who are dishonorable. According to Le Bret, Cyrano’s writings “constantly make new enemies for him! He attacks false noblemen, false saints, false heroes, plagiarists-everyone!”(204). Cyrano is indeed living up to his standards of honor by living his life this way. Another thing that is honorable about Cyrano is that he is true to his words. When the Duke asks Roxanne if Cyrano ever comes to see her, she says that he does, and in her reply she states, “I don’t even have to turn around to look for him, because I know I’ll hear his cane coming down the steps immediately after the last stroke.” This shows how people trust Cyrano and in order to be honorable, one must be trusted and dependable. The final thing that proves to me that Cyrano is truly honorable is that for fourteen years, he never tells Roxanne that he was the one who wrote all the letters. Roxanne finally finds out he was the one writing them, but he still adamantly denies it. He will be unhappy and go to his death to preserve Christians honor. Typically you would not believe that lieing is honorable at all, but if you’re protecting the honor of someone else, I think it is perfectly fine to lie as Cyrano does, and in fact even makes him more honorable. Thus the ending is inspiring, because Cyrano ultimately dies fighting for what he believes in,honor,and to me lives up to every bit of his white plume standards of honor.