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- Madame Butterfly
Madame Butterfly - Show Information
Madama Butterfly is set in Japan during the early 1900s and tells the story of a young geisha, who falls in love with a handsome American Naval Officer.The action in this tragic opera takes place in Japan and in the United States of America. It is based on considerable misinformation on the part of a young geisha girl in Japan concerning the man to whom she is engaged to be married. She uses the name of Butterfly in most of the opera.
An American sailor promises to rent a house and marry Butterfly. The girl believes these promises and renounces her Japanese family's religious faith, which signifies that she can never return to her own people. They marry, much to the dismay of her family and friends.
After the sailor's military duties are completed, he returns to his United States homeland. He promises to return for her, but after a three year absence he writes to her although she cannot read the letter. She assumes the letter is good news. She already has born a child fathered by the sailor. In actuality, the letter from the sailor reveals that he has married an American wife.
This opera has been criticized as racist and favoring colonization of Asia by Western powers. Whether there is any truth to these allegations is open to debate. However, the story is well worth seeing.
| Lyrics | Luigi Illica, Giuseppe Giacosa |
| Music | Giacomo Puccini |
| Credits | Composer: Giacomo Puccini |