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1. Describe the scene at the beginning of the play.

Cyrano de Bergerac opens with much of Paris gathering at the Hotel de Borgogne for a performance of the popular play La Clorise. The crowd is raucous, including dueling cadets, pickpockets, gamblers, and youths trying to seduce

2. Why does Ragueneau expect Cyrano at the play?

Ragueneau is surprised that Cyrano is not at the theatre because he has forbidden the play's leading man, Montfluery, to play the stages of Paris for a month. His appearance in the play-within-the-play is certain to inflame Cyrano's rage.

3. What is the Comte de Guiche's treachery against Ligniere?

The Comte de Guiche is angered by a satiric verse Ligniere has written against him. As such, he has hired a hundred ruffians to assail the drunken poet that night.

4. How does Cyrano react to the loutish Citizen's attack on his nose?

Cyrano, who is said to be incredibly sensitive about the length of his nose, reacts to a boorish citizen's comment about his new with a clever performance for the assembled audience. He lists out a long series of other, more clever ways to insult his nose, delighting the onlookers. He concludes by warning the citizen and everyone else that only only Cyrano is allowed to insult Cyrano's nose.

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