Matthew Peeler's Blog

In both Oscar Wilde’s and Edmond Rostand’s plays, there is a particular character that tends to run the course a little differently than many people. In both of these plays there is a character that lies, in one way or another, in hopes of getting the interest of a particular lady. In both of these plays these lies turn into truths at the end and though they end in quite a different manner, there is a similar principle involved. In Wilde’s play, Jack has hopes of entering a relationship with Gwendolen and in order to increase his chances, he lies to her about his name and tells her it is Earnest simple because she is fascinated by this particular name. To make a long story short, in the end it turns out that these lies turn into truths and everything works out in Jack’s favor. In Rostand’s play, Cyrano plays a similar role. Cyrano wrote Roxanne letters years before from a man name “Christian”. At the end of the play, Roxanne realizes that it was Cyrano that wrote the letters as she recognizes that the voice reading the farewell letter was the one she heard years ago. Though Cyrano dies quickly after this takes place, his lying to a woman in order to get closer to her works out in the end, even if it is only for a short time. Though these two story lines have a very different ending, they begin and transpire in a very similar way. Both Jack and Cyrano are characters that are interested in a lady that they believe are going to be difficult to get. Both of these men go under a false name in order to grow closer to the woman that they have feelings for. Despite the ending of the two stories, Jack and Cyrano have taken a similar path to their ladies, making them very comparable characters.