Madame Butterfly
The acclaimed and simultaneously
controversial masterpiece, “Madame Butterfly,” has continued to evade and
captivate audiences the world over, due to its brutal subject matter and due to
modern interpretations of the famed classic that have since followed. The opera
was originally written in 1903 by composer Giacomo Puccini, who decided to work
on production for an opera after watching a London performance about a Japanese
woman’s tragic love story to an American sailor, and her eventual end. Although
Puccini could not speak English, he was very touched by the performance that he
immediately requested rights to the opera and began working on what was to
become the opera the world knows today, as “Madame Butterfly” (Schwarm and
Cantoni, 2018). “Madame Butterfly,” is a harsh story of first love, loss,
betrayal, and exploitation. It is a cruel coming of age tale that has many
critics asking if the story is in fact less of a theatrical masterpiece about
lost love, and more an unsightly tale glorifying yellow fever and the
degradation of women for the male gaze and their consequent sexual
gratification (Miskimmon).
Audiences who first viewed “Madame Butterfly,”
were not at all emotionally moved for Butterfly’s character or sympathetic to
her plight, as Puccini was. Rather, audience members behaved very crudely,
laughing and ridiculing Butterfly during an apparent scene that hinted at her
marital consummation with her Naval husband, Pinkerton. Instead of viewing this
moment as a sad loss of innocence for Butterfly to an undeserving man who wanted
nothing but to thwart his toxic masculinity on a poor orphaned teenage girl who
believed her union was in fact sanctioned and valid, viewers took the scene to
be nothing more than an erotic display between an “exotic feminine mystique,”
and a commendably macho man (Miskimmon).
While watching this opera, I was surprised at the
apparent lack of Asian representation within the actual work. Although there
have been Madame Butterfly characters portrayed by members of the Asian
community, there were several renditions in which the leading lady was not in
fact Asian. I found this to be quite troubling and perhaps an added incentive
for critics to dismiss “Madame Butterfly,” for nothing more than a toxic
fetishization of Asian women and Asian culture. Although I can understand where
such critics are coming from, as a young Asian woman, I look up to this
production because there are so few opportunities in the performing arts for a
specifically Asian woman or Asian man to be the leading principal. As a little
girl with a passion for theatre and a deep love for music, “Madame Butterfly”
and “Miss Saigon,” a consequent musical inspired by the opera, “Madame
Butterfly,” inspired me. I was even more in awe when the renowned Filipina
artist, Lea Salonga, took to the stage and performed as the lead role, Kim, in
“Miss Saigon.” In my opinion, to silence these harsh criticisms about the
validity of “Madame Butterfly” as a truly masterful piece, Asian representation
must be given consideration during casting decisions.
The rendition I saw of this opera
had incredible set design. The performance was held on a long stage with plenty
of room for actors and set pieces to be used; however, there was only one main
set piece, Butterfly’s home. This I would suspect would be because audience
members are experiencing the events that take place through Butterfly’s
perspective. We see how things unfold in her world, her life. Although this
piece is not entirely limited to just Butterfly’s personal thoughts, much of
what the audience sees are pivotal events happening directly to her. The
audience knows Pinkerton is not serious about his union to Butterfly, but she
remains unaware of this fact. This adds to the tension and emotional appeal of
the work itself. The mise en scene was simplistic and visually exciting. Most
of the opera was dark, dim, and mysterious. To make the scene more realistic,
the house in which Butterfly lived had its own light fixtures inside, and it
was constructed in such a way as to make the viewer believe it was in fact a real
house with rooms and compartments. Additionally, the stage included props such
as long, slender blades of grass lining the edge of the stage, almost as if to
invite viewers into the world of “Madame Butterfly.” I believe the placement of
the grass was essential to suspension of disbelief.
“Madame Butterfly” made great use of
technology. For instance, the lighting choices that were made. A seasoned and
observant viewer would note how during dramatic scenes, bluer hued lights were
used to play up the drama of the scene, while bright yellow lights were used to
highlight happier events during the play, reflecting the feelings of the
opera’s central characters. Definitive light choices allow the audience members
to be a part of the scene and register the proper emotions at the right time. A
less obvious role technology played a part in, would be the sliding doors used
in Madame Butterfly’s home. This may seem trivial at first glance, but upon
further observation, one may come to realize and appreciate just how important
a detail like that can be in a production. Theatrical performances are a
collection of small, deliberate artistic choices that can determine between the
phenomenal and otherwise mediocre. Sliding doors add to the realism portrayed
in the opera. The fact that the doors slide suggests that the house we are
watching could really exist somewhere. It suggests that this may be more than
wallpaper and wooden beams because audiences can fill in the rest of the
arbitrary details such a house may possess.
“Madame Butterfly” holds an important place in the
chronological history of opera because of its duality. It is for some, one-part
fetishism and other part naivety, but for others, its controversy is what makes
it so enduring. As with all other works of art, there are many ways to view
this opera. Perhaps, it is a poor portrayal of lost love in today’s enlightened
society and social changes, but when it was written, it was created almost
explicitly to depict the hurt of being a woman in love. This opera has been
such an inspiration for other artists that its story lives on in its popular
adaptation, “Miss Saigon,” and in many other works. “Madame Butterfly” even
became the namesake for a true to life story about a French diplomat
unwittingly falling in love with, and being deceived by, a male Chinese spy. The
controversy surrounding the plot and its relevancy today are what make this
masterpiece so memorable.
If I were to create a video game based off this opera,
I would make the game a simulation where the individual playing could react to
events happening in the game that all originated from the opera. For example,
in the game, the player would be Madame Butterfly and have the autonomy to make
decisions based off dialogue exchanged by other characters. Each choice would
then proceed with a different series of chain reactions for the player to
explore. The wonderful part of this game would be that no one experience would
be the same because the player is given the freedom to choose.
In conclusion, “Madame Butterfly” has solidified its
place in opera and artistic history not only for its beautiful music, but for
its controversial story line. It is an opera about love and heartbreak. Today
the world still views this piece with skepticism and reservation, but in my
opinion, there is more to “Madame Butterfly” than what meets the eye. It is a
commentary on human emotion and our universal plights in love. Moreover, it
describes so well the sting of first love, from the joys and delights of the
honeymoon stage, to the despair of abandonment. Madame Butterfly is not a weak
character, although I will admit that she does fit the stereotypical female
character written by a male through his ideas about what being a woman was
like. Despite all this, what makes this opera so appealing is how human all its
characters are. From the selfish Naval officer, Pinkerton, the greedy marriage
broker, Goro, and finally the young and inexperienced Butterfly, all of
Puccini’s characters are shockingly relatable and if nothing else, human.
Works Cited
1. Miskimmon, Annilese. “Sex, Betrayal, Suicide: Is
Madama Butterfly too Sordid to Stage
2. Schwarm, Betsy, and Cantoni, Linda. “Madama
Butterfly.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Butterfly. 12
September 2018.
