Madame Butterfly
Abandoned geisha's sorrow
Madame Butterfly is Puccini's 1904 opera about a Japanese woman abandoned by an American naval officer.
The title character, Cio-Cio-San, waits faithfully for her lover's return—a story that has become shorthand for tragic devotion and cultural collision.
She played Madame Butterfly at the Met.
The phrase sometimes describes a woman naively devoted to someone who has abandoned her.
Italian operatic composer
- ariaOperatic solo piece
- sopranoHighest female voice range
- librettoOpera's written words
- SuzukiJapanese motor vehicle corporation
duet · intermezzo · score · conductor · orchestra · performance · premiere · recitative
East Asian archipelago nation
- NagasakiSecond city bombed atomically
- geishaJapanese arts entertainer
- kimonoWraparound Japanese garment
- orientalismInterest in Eastern aesthetics
Meiji · cherry blossom · tea ceremony · shoji · tatami · obi · harbor · parasol
Crushing emotional pain
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
- betrayalBreaking of trust
- seppukuRitualized Japanese self-disembowelment
- suicideVoluntary death by oneself
grief · despair · fate · sacrifice · devotion · waiting · deception · innocence lost
Intense fond attachment
- infatuationShort-lived intense attraction
- yearningIntense prolonged craving
- devotionDeep, loyal commitment
- passionIntense emotional drive
longing · courtship · marriage · fidelity · unrequited · ardor · cherish · sentimentality
Puccini
Italian operatic composer
Suzuki · duet · intermezzo · score · conductor · orchestra · performance · premiere · recitative · diva
Japan
East Asian archipelago nation
- NagasakiSecond city bombed atomically
- geishaJapanese arts entertainer
- kimonoWraparound Japanese garment
orientalism · Meiji · cherry blossom · tea ceremony · shoji · tatami · obi · harbor · parasol · exoticism
heartbreak
Crushing emotional pain
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
- betrayalBreaking of trust
- seppukuRitualized Japanese self-disembowelment
suicide · grief · despair · fate · sacrifice · devotion · waiting · deception · innocence lost · pathos
love
Intense fond attachment
- infatuationShort-lived intense attraction
- yearningIntense prolonged craving
- devotionDeep, loyal commitment
passion · longing · courtship · marriage · fidelity · unrequited · ardor · cherish · sentimentality · naivety
- MasterpiecesMona Lisa, Last Supper, Starry Night, The Scream, David
- Title CharactersAladdin, Amadeus, Anastasia, Annie, Bambi
- tragic romanceRomeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, Wuthering Heights, doomed lovers, star-crossed
- Literary HeroinesJuliet, Ophelia, Cordelia, Desdemona, Lady Macbeth
- opera in artstage design, costumes, opera house, dramatic lighting, arias
- Tragic CharactersHamlet, Oedipus, Macbeth, King Lear, Antigone
Madame Butterflycomic opera
Humorous sung theatrical work
The Merry Widow · Falstaff · operetta · Gilbert and Sullivan · farce
Madame ButterflyMy Fair Lady
Musical about dialect coaching
Pretty Woman · happily ever after · romantic comedy · fairy tale ending · Sleeping Beauty