During the 1600s the theater was beginning to be very important in France. It was patronized by the King, who dictated what it should be like. Popular drama, such as existed in England and Spain, was not allowed. French drama had to be in the style of ancient Greek drama. It is very high-flown and never mixes tragedy and comedy.
Someone keeps interrupting and making rude remarks.
In a box we see a group of people with a beautiful young woman called Roxanne. Roxanne explains that no, he has an enormous nose and fights anyone who makes a remark about it. The friend is about to be attacked. Cyrano meets Roxanne at the pastrycook's shop and she comes in masked. But there are pressing problems since relations are bad with Spain, which at the time was occupying what is now Holland and Belgium.