The Military Crisis at Arras

Cyrano de Bergerac

This thread follows the siege from the cadets’ starvation through Roxane’s arrival and the final defense that costs Christian his life.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Starving Encampment A Starving Encampment from "Cyrano de Bergerac". A Starving Encampment Hunger weakens the company The Gascon cadets wake with almost nothing to eat while cannon fire and the Spanish presence keep danger…

A Starving Encampment from "Cyrano de Bergerac". A Starving Encampment Hunger weakens the company The Gascon cadets wake with almost nothing to eat while cannon fire and the Spanish presence keep danger…

A Starving Encampment Hunger weakens the company The Gascon cadets wake with almost nothing to eat while cannon fire and the Spanish presence keep danger close. Cyrano sustains morale He jokes with the men and uses a fifer’s music to shift their attention from bodily hunger to homesickness and shared identity.

Messages Through the Lines Messages Through the Lines from "Cyrano de Bergerac". Messages Through the Lines Cyrano’s repeated crossings Cyrano risks moving through the enemy lines to carry letters in Christian’s name to Roxane.

Messages Through the Lines from "Cyrano de Bergerac". Messages Through the Lines Cyrano’s repeated crossings Cyrano risks moving through the enemy lines to carry letters in Christian’s name to Roxane.

Messages Through the Lines Cyrano’s repeated crossings Cyrano risks moving through the enemy lines to carry letters in Christian’s name to Roxane. A private danger within the siege Each journey adds personal risk to the wider military crisis. His secret work keeps the absent couple emotionally connected while depleting the man who performs it.

Roxane Reaches Camp Roxane Reaches Camp from "Cyrano de Bergerac". Roxane Reaches Camp Crossing enemy territory Roxane arrives by carriage after passing through the Spanish lines, explaining that her smile and claim of…

Roxane Reaches Camp from "Cyrano de Bergerac". Roxane Reaches Camp Crossing enemy territory Roxane arrives by carriage after passing through the Spanish lines, explaining that her smile and claim of…

Roxane Reaches Camp Crossing enemy territory Roxane arrives by carriage after passing through the Spanish lines, explaining that her smile and claim of visiting her lover won her passage. Food in a starving camp Her carriage carries a concealed feast, which Ragueneau helps distribute. Her arrival offers the cadets relief but also increases the danger around her.

The Delaying Order The Delaying Order from "Cyrano de Bergerac". The Delaying Order An enemy attack expected De Guiche reports that the Spanish know the French force is reduced and will attack.

The Delaying Order from "Cyrano de Bergerac". The Delaying Order An enemy attack expected De Guiche reports that the Spanish know the French force is reduced and will attack.

The Delaying Order An enemy attack expected De Guiche reports that the Spanish know the French force is reduced and will attack. He orders the cadets to hold their position until support returns. Personal motives exposed He acknowledges that his grudge influenced the assignment. The cadets accept the danger, while his later decision to stay complicates their judgment of him.

The Cadets’ Last Resistance The Cadets’ Last Resistance from "Cyrano de Bergerac". The Cadets’ Last Resistance Loss and rally Christian falls to enemy fire as the attack reaches the position.

The Cadets’ Last Resistance from "Cyrano de Bergerac". The Cadets’ Last Resistance Loss and rally Christian falls to enemy fire as the attack reaches the position.

The Cadets’ Last Resistance Loss and rally Christian falls to enemy fire as the attack reaches the position. Cyrano rallies the cadets around Roxane’s handkerchief and urges them to charge. Defeat made memorable The survivors are overwhelmed, but their resistance becomes the emblem of the company. The battle leaves Roxane widowed and Cyrano carrying a truth he cannot yet share.

Dawn during Act IV

Before sunrise on successive days at Arras

Act IV, shortly before the attack

Act IV, after De Guiche returns to the camp

The end of the siege battle in Act IV