Summary

Roxane is alone. Two nuns bring Cyrano’s favorite chair and place it under the tree in the courtyard. The leaves are falling and Cyrano is late. This is so unusual that Roxane is worried about him. Then a sister announces his arrival.

Analysis

As Cyrano was a faithful writer, he is now a faithful visitor. His weekly visits to Roxane considerably brighten her self-imposed retirement. The nuns also obviously look forward to seeing Cyrano. He is the sort of man who could be very popular and tactful, and the nuns’ attitudes toward him are altogether in character. One may also contrast Cyrano’s constancy with the apparent neglect that De Guiche has shown Roxane.

Rostand uses some rather obvious symbolism here. The leaves are falling from the tree, indicating the approach of winter when everything dies, at least for a while. Cyrano, too, is fast approaching his end.