Cyrano de Bergerac vs Phèdre: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: French drama, Théâtre, Drama, Classic Literature, Fiction

Cyrano de Bergerac Edmond Rostand · 1821 ★★★★☆ 4.1 208 pages · ≈ 3 h 51 m · Demanding

Cyrano de Bergerac, verse drama in five acts by Edmond Rostand, performed in 1897 and published the following year. It was based only nominally on the 17th-century nobleman of the same name, known for his bold…

Translations from French French Authors French language In literature

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Phèdre Jean Racine · 1677 ★★★★☆ 3.7 89 pages · ≈ 1 h 39 m · Demanding

Phèdre est un tourbillon de folie amoureuse et de sang. Des divinités invisibles égarent les héros de Racine, les jetant dans la fureur... Héritière d'une lignée maudite, Phèdre devrait aimer le prince Thésée, son mari.…

Littérature française Motion picture plays Hippolytus Continental european drama

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate Cyrano de Bergerac highest: Cyrano de Bergerac 4.1 · Phèdre 3.7.
Phèdre is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 3 for Cyrano de Bergerac.
Cyrano de Bergerac has the widest readership — 92809 ratings behind its score.
Cyrano de Bergerac runs the darker storyline; Phèdre stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Phèdre ≈ 1h vs 3h for Cyrano de Bergerac Want the crowd-tested pick? Cyrano de Bergerac 92809 ratings vs 25710 for Phèdre Just want the better-reviewed one? Cyrano de Bergerac 4.1 vs 3.7 from readers In the mood for something dark? Cyrano de Bergerac a darker storyline than Phèdre Want something lighter? Phèdre an easier tone than Cyrano de Bergerac

Scores by source

	Cyrano de Bergerac	Phèdre
Goodreads	4.1 (92809)	3.7 (25710)
Hardcover	4.2 (113)	4.0 (1)
Apple Books	4.5 (69)	—

Reception

	Cyrano de Bergerac	Phèdre
Ratings	92809	25710
Editions	309	168
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	56187	11201
Reading it now	1818	260
Written reviews	3962	1164
Wikipedia attention	18222	2461
Pages	208	89

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Cyrano de Bergerac or Phèdre?

Cyrano de Bergerac has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Cyrano de Bergerac 4.1/5, Phèdre 3.7/5).

Which is shorter to read: Cyrano de Bergerac or Phèdre?

Phèdre is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Phèdre (89 pages, ≈ 1 h 39 m); Cyrano de Bergerac (208 pages, ≈ 3 h 51 m).

Which is harder to read: Cyrano de Bergerac or Phèdre?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Cyrano de Bergerac: Demanding; Phèdre: Demanding.