History Theatre / MadameButterfly

* WickedStepmother: Averted - Kate is the cause of much of Butterfly's misfortune, including losing her son, but it's completely unintentional on her part. She's been put in a very awkward position by her husband but is clearly determined to do the right thing and raise his half-Japanese child. She promises she'll care for him as her own son, and is deeply sorry for Butterfly, begging for her forgiveness.

This opera has had countless adaptations, including one in 1915 with Creator/MaryPickford and another in 1932 starring Creator/CaryGrant as Pinkerton. One with a page on this wiki being ''Theatre/MissSaigon'' and ''Manga/MademoiselleButterfly''. It also inspired the play ''Theatre/MButterfly'' and the 1922 film ''Film/TheTollOfTheSea'', 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 ''Manga/MademoiselleButterfly''. It also inspired the play ''Theatre/MButterfly'' and the 1922 film ''Film/TheTollOfTheSea'', and received quite a few references in Music/{{Weezer}}'s album ''Music/{{Pinkerton}}''.

* DrinkOrder: Whiskey is the drink preferred of Americans, such as Pinkerton and Sharpless.

''Madame Butterfly'' (''Madama Butterfly'' in Italian) is a three-act opera by Music/GiacomoPuccini. Based on both the French novel ''Madame Chrysanthème'' and the American short story and play ''Madame Butterfly'' and ''Madame Butterfly: A Tragedy of Japan'', 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, but lets the lovestruck Butterfly believe that the marriage is permanent. The wedding takes place, but Butterfly's uncle disapproves of the fact that she renounced her religion for her husband. Her family disowns her, but Pinkerton kicks out the relatives and comforts her.

* CostumePorn: Expect to see Cio-Cio-San in [[https://travelswithjb.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Opera-Australias-MADAMA-BUTTERFLY-MA15-photo-Jeff-Busby_1109.jpg some]] beautiful kimonos, as well as the female chorus members in Act I.

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

* AdaptationalHeroism: Pinkerton. In the novel, he's the one who bans Butterfly from seeing her family. In the play, he thinks they're silly, but is understandably horrified by their renunciation of her. The novel also gives no indication that he feels the slightest guilt for how he's treated Butterfly.

* ButNotTooForeign: The half-American child is cast as blond, usually.
** As the lyrics request.

* ConvertingForLove: An especially drastic example, since a) Butterfly's family disowns her over it, and b) Pinkerton never asked her to, and totally doesn't care that she did.

* DownerEnding: Pinkerton never returns to Butterfly, but only returns to Japan to clean up loose ends before returning to live in America with his wife. Cast out from her family, rejected by the man that she loves, facing a future of dire poverty, without her son and without honor, Butterfly commits suicide. As she dies, she gets to hear Pinkerton's voice one last time - that's as happy as it gets.
** The original short story the Opera is based on was actually a BittersweetEnding, as seen above.

* MeaningfulName: Pinkerton, as noted above, but also the ineffectual Sharpless and the fragile Butterfly.

* StepfordSmiler: Butterfly in Act II - she hides all her pain behind a brave face, and acts bold and confident in front of strangers. In Act III, this mask completely falls away.

* WhatHaveIDone: Pinkerton's reaction upon finding out Butterfly has waited three years for his return.
** However, some versions and/or translations have Pinkerton [[{{Angst}} angsting]] not so much about how he hurt Butterfly, but about [[ItsAllAboutMe how much the guilt hurts him]].

* 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 [[LoveMartyr she]] [[TheIngenue completely]] [[UnrequitedTragicMaiden lacks]] [[SilkHidingSteel the required 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]].
** In contrast to the meekness of a "proper wife," Butterfly retains much of the panache of a geisha, such as when Yamadori comes a'courting, and she sasses him, then mocks him by impersonating an American judge ready to throw him in jail, before calmly calling for tea.

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

** Of course, Butterfly's submissiveness and naivete could just as easily be attributed to the fact that she is only 15 years old at the beginning of the story and 18 by the end.

* GratuitousEnglish: Pinkerton and Sharpless both exclaim "America Forever!" after Pinkerton's first aria. Also, Butterfly's name should rightly either be Cio-Cio San (Japanese) or Farfella (Italian), but everyone calls her by the English translation of her name.

** Kate (named Adelaide in the novel) is also made kinder and empathetic in the opera; in the novel she looks forward to taking away the baby and doesn't care what the mother will think.

* RewatchBonus: In Anthony Minghella's filmed production of ''Madama Butterfly,'' watch Sharpless when Pinkerton announces a toast "To the day I wed a real American bride!" Sharpless [[EveryoneHasStandards throws his drink away rather than toast to that.]]

* AdaptationalHeroism: Pinkerton. In the novel, he's the one who bans Butterfly from seeing her family. In the play, he thinks they're silly, but is understandably horrified by their renunciation of her.

** The original short story the Opera is based on was actually a BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: when Butterfly was about to commit suicide, she hesitates long enough that Suzuki can intervene, pinching Butterfly and Pinkerton's son hard enough to make him cry, preventing her from going through with it. Instead, the story ends that the house was empty when Pinkerton and Kate arrive to take his son the next day]].

* WickedStepmother: Averted - Kate is the cause of much of Butterfly's misfortune, including losing her son, but it's compleely unintentional on her part. She's been put in a very awkward position by her husband but is clearly determined to do the right thing and raise his half-Japanese child. She promises she'll care for him as her own son, and is deeply sorry for Butterfly, begging for her forgiveness.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Sharpless, in Act II, asks Butterfly "What would you do if Pinkerton never came back?" This question slams the music to a halt, and it totally changes the tone of their conversation. Butterfly slowly answers that she could return to being a geisha, or, better yet, she could die. From being [[StepfordSmiler a spirited hostess,]] she turns grim, and soon demands that Sharpless leave.

** Averted in Act I - even when Butterfly is by herself, she observes that although she still feels the pain of being rejected by her family, being wed to Pinkerton makes her happy. Yeah, she loves him ''[[ThePowerOfLove that much.]]''

* OldRetainer: Suzuki, whom Goro introduces as Butterfly's longtime servant. Suzuki is still around in Act II even when the other servants have left and the money is all gone. Her biggest deviation from the trope is that she's not hung up on propriety. She chatters a lot, and is openly affectionate towards Butterfly and Sorrow.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Sharpless, in Act II, asks Butterfly "What would you do if Pinkerton never came back?" This question slams the music to a halt, and it totally changes the tone of their conversation. Butterfly slowly answers that she could return to being a geisha, or, better yet, she could die. From being a spirited, chatty hostess she turns grim and serious, and soon demands that Sharpless leave.

* DeathByAdaptation: In the original short story by John Luther Long, Butterfly survives. [[spoiler: Her maid's attempt [[InterruptedSuicide to avert her suicide by pushing her son into the room]] ''works,'' and Butterfly, her maid, and her son flee before Pinkerton returns.]] It was David Belasco, the playwright, who introduced the tragic ending.

* EmotionallyTongueTied: Sharpless in Act II. Not only is he constantly interrupted (once by an inconveniently timed royal procession), but he knows the message he carries will break Butterfly's heart, and is unsure how to break the news.

* ParentalAbandonment: Butterfly's child now has a MissingMom and a dad who's got his own wife.

* WeWait: Towards the end of Act II, when the house is ready, Butterfly instructs Suzuki and Sorrow to sit pretty and wait for Pinkerton's return. They end up waiting ''all through the night,'' and he never comes. Suzuki and Sorrow fall asleep, but Butterfly keeps the vigil until daybreak.

* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder

* WickedStepmother: Averted - Kate is the cause of much of Butterfly's misfortune, including losing her son, but it's compleely unintentional on her part. She's been put in a very awkward position by her husband but is clearly determined to do the right thing and raise his half-Japanese child. She promises she'll care for him as her own son, and is deeply sorry for Butterfly, begging for her forgiveness.

* GratuitousEnglish: Pinkerton and Sharpless both exclaim "America Forever!" after Pinkerton's first aria.