The word "sol" refers to French coins used during the Middle Ages. Twenty of these coins equaled one livre tournois, a form of currency used during the same period.
Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan (1611–1673) was a French soldier under King Louis XIV, immortalized in Alexandre Dumas The Three Musketeers. Readers should note how Cyrano de Bergerac satirizes and pays homage to Dumas's novel.
"Or a Tito to win Berenice..."See in text(Act I - Scene V)
Tito is another name for the Roman Emperor Titus (39–81 AD), while Berenice was a Jewish princess born around 28 AD. Although Tito and Berenice were in love, Romans opposed and prohibited their marriage. Cyrano's two questions referencing these famous couples ask whether he will ever find love with such a large nose.
Le Marais is a historic neighborhood in the 3rd and 4th arrondissements in Paris. It is still considered one of the most aristocratic areas in Paris today.
Diogenes the Cynic was a Greek philosopher during 300 BCE. According to legend, he walked the streets of Athens with a lantern in order to find an honest man.
"I didn't copy Regiomontanus’ eagle! Nor did I make a version of Archytas’ pigeon!..."See in text(Act III - Scene XI)
Johannes Muller (1436–1476), or "Regiomontanus," was a German astronomer and mathematician who supposedly invented a mechanical eagle that could fly. Archytas (428 BCE–347 BCE) was a Greek philosopher and astronomer who supposedly built an artificial flying bird.
René Descartes (1596–1650) was a French philosopher and mathematician. Considered the father of modern philosophy, Descartes famously stated “I think, therefore I am.”
