What does the character 'Cyrano' symbolise in Cyrano de Bergerac and why is this important in the socio-historic context of the play?

Cyrano first and foremost symbolises the French spirit, or 'l'esprit français'. He represents the fighting spirit of France, with his nobility and honour. He is skilled with both his words and in battle - we can see this from the scene with the Count in the first act. Cyrano is described by the author himself as a 'démon de la bravoure', the literal translation of this being 'demon of bravery'. This is particularly important for France and its citizens at the time because they had just fought the Prussians in the Franco-Prussian war. There was an atmosphere of defeat in the country as they had suffered considerable losses (men, territory), which consequently led to a lack of nationalism and pride amongst the French people. Cyrano therefore serves an intended purpose - which was to remind the people of France's fighting spirit and all the attributes both valued and present in French society: intelligence, linguistic skill, battle skills, charm, nobility...to name only a few.