History Theatre / MadameButterfly

''Madame Butterfly'' (''Madama Butterfly'' in Italian) is a three-act opera by GiacomoPuccini. Based on both the short story ''Madame Chrysanthème'' and ''Madame Butterfly'', it tells the story of Cio-Cio San (nicknamed Butterfly) in 1904, Nagasaki, Japan. Cio-Cio San, a soprano and beautiful 15 year old girl, is engaged to be married to a U.S. Naval Officer named Pinkerton. He admires her for her innocence and beauty, like a young delicate butterfly, and the fact that he can just as easily pluck her wings. He only wants to temporarily marry her until he finds an American bride. They are happily planned to be married, but Butterfly's uncle disapproves of the fact that she renounced her religion for her husband. Her family disowns her, but Pinkerton comforts her.

Pinkerton comes home, only to have Butterfly find out that in these past three years, he's married a woman named Kate. Sadly Butterfly accepts this, gives up her child, and chooses what she finds honorable with what she has left.

* FamousNamedForeigner: The American ''Benjamin Franklin'' Pinkerton (remember the opera was written in Italy).

* {{Geisha}}: Cio-Cio San.

* {{Leitmotif}}: Several. There's one for Butterfly's father's knife as well as Pikerton's already-mentioned "Star Spangled Banner", just to mention two.

* ButNotTooForeign: The half-American child is cast as blonde, usually.

* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler:the dagger]].

In the next act, 3 years have passed and Pinkerton is off and gone. Butterfly is alone, and Suzuki shows up to her home with a letter from Pinkerton. Butterfly thinks the letter says he will return, and Sharpless is not sure what to say to her. He doesn't know if Pinkerton will actually return or not. Butterfly had a child back at home without him, and calls him Sorrow, until her husband comes home, saying then when he returns the child will be called Joy.

Pinkerton comes home, only to have Butterfly find out that these past three years, he's been with a woman named Kate. Sadly Butterfly accepts this, gives up her child, and chooses what she finds honorable with what she has left.

MadameButterfly (Italian ''Madama Butterfly'') is a three-act opera by GiacomoPuccini. Based on both the short story ''Madame Chrysanthème'' and ''Madame Butterfly'', it tells the story of Cio-Cio San (nicknamed Butterfly) in 1904, Nagasaki, Japan. Cio-Cio San, a soprano and beautiful 15 year old girl, is engaged to be married to a U.S. Naval Officer named Pinkerton. He admires her for her innocence and beauty, like a young delicate butterfly, and the fact that he can just as easily pluck her wings. He only wants to temporarily marry her until he finds an American bride. They are happily planned to be married, but Butterfly's uncle disapproves of the fact that she renounced her religion for her husband. Her family disowns her, but Pinkerton comforts her.

[[TrueArtIsAngsty It's an opera.]] [[DownerEnding What do you expect?]] [[WhatsOperaDoc A happy ending?]]

This opera has had countless adaptations, one with a page on this wiki being ''Theatre/MissSaigon'' and ''MademoiselleButterfly''. It also inspired the play ''Theatre/MButterfly'', and received quite a few references in Music/{{Weezer}}'s album ''Music/{{Pinkerton}}''.

This opera has had countless adaptations, one with a page on this wiki being ''Theatre/MissSaigon'' and ''Theatre/MademoiselleButterfly''. It also inspired the play ''Theatre/MButterfly'', and received quite a few references in Music/{{Weezer}}'s album ''Music/{{Pinkerton}}''.

This opera has had countless adaptations, one with a page on this wiki being ''MissSaigon'' and ''MademoiselleButterfly''. It also inspired the play ''MButterfly'', and received quite a few references in {{Weezer}}'s album ''Music/{{Pinkerton}}''.

--> '''Sharpless:''' Egli è suo?[[hottip:English:Is it his (Pinkerton's)?]]
--> '''Butterfly:''' Chi mai vide a bimbo del Giappone occhi azzurrini? E il labbro? E i ricciolini d'oro schietto? [[hottip:English:Who ever saw blue eyes on a Japanese boy? And the lip? And the clear golden curls?]]

* AsianGalWithWhiteGuy: The TropeCodifier for the "exotic, submissive Asian woman falls in love with Western man" plot.

* YamatoNadeshiko: Massively subverted. Butterfly is ''supposed'' to be a "proper Japanese woman" and a sympathetic victim of Western racism. However, technically speaking she ''fails'' at being a YamatoNadeshiko, as she [[[SilkHidingSteel lacks the core of steel]]; nowadays, poor Butterfly is seen as a TropeCodifier on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypes_of_East_Asians_in_the_Western_world#.22China_doll.22_stereotype how NOT to write any East Asian female character]].

* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: the name Cio-Cio is not even remotely Japanese, and the suffix -san is an honorific, not part of a Japanese name.
** Cio-Cio is a Japanese name according to Italian pronunciation. "Ci" produces a "Ch" sound, making her name Cho-Cho or "Butterfly".

* ChekovsGun: [[spoiler:the dagger]].

[[TrueArtIsAngsty It's an opera.]] [[DownerEnding What do you expect?]]

* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: the name Cio-Cio is not even remotely Japanese, and the honorific -san is not part of a Japanese name.

* ConvertingForLove

* FairForItsDay: Nowadays, the play gets criticism for codifying the stereotype of Asian women as fragile and nothing without their Western men, but in its time it was meant to ''condemn'' the cruelty of the West towards the East.

* {{Seppuku}}: Butterfly's father's knife is used for this.
** SpurnedIntoSuicide

MadameButterfly (Italian ''Madama Butterfly'') is a three-act opera by Giacomo Puccini. Based on both the short story ''Madame Chrysanthème'' and ''Madame Butterfly'', it tells the story of Cio-Cio San (nicknamed Butterfly) in 1904, Nagasaki, Japan. Cio-Cio San, a soprano and beautiful 15 year old girl, is engaged to be married to a U.S. Naval Officer named Pinkerton. He admires her for her innocence and beauty, like a young delicate butterfly, and the fact that he can just as easily pluck her wings. He only wants to temporarily marry her until he finds an American bride. They are happily planned to be married, but Butterfly's uncle disapproves of the fact that she renounced her religion for her husband. Her family disowns her, but Pinkerton comforts her.

This opera has had countless adaptations, one with a page on this wiki being ''MissSaigon'' and ''MademoiselleButterfly''. It also inspired the play ''MButterfly''.