Madama Butterfly

Madama Butterfly is an opera about a Japanese woman who falls in love with an American man. He sleeps with her and immediately leaves afterwards, leaving behind her and eventually their child. Madama Butterfly holds on to the hope that the man will come back for her and her child and waits for him vigilantly. Eventually he does return but he brings his new wife with him and all of their kids. He takes the child that he had with Madama Butterfly, officially taking everything from her. In the end, Madama Butterfly commits suicide.

I thought the animation style was very unique. The use of dolls and scenery helped tell the story as well as the symbolic objects that were used. In the beginning, it is shown that Madama Butterfly has a butterfly that sits upon her head. When the man leaves, the butterfly leaves too which I think symbolizes her heart. The child is shown to be a fish in a fish bowl at first. The fish bowl then breaks to represent her water has broken and the child is born.

 She and her child are attached to each other by a string. Madama Butterfly is seen floating around in the air with her child pulling her along which symbolizes how she may be daydreaming or not completely mentally there. The only thing keeping her floating along is her child. When she sees the ship the man belongs to, she is suddenly grounded and awaits his return. When he does return he rips the child from her, severing the string and thus taking away her only connection to him. She then commits suicide by taking a part her puppet body.

This version is more simplistic than the original opera itself. We do not get the backstory that Butterfly and the Sailor are married and we miss out on the curse that is placed on her. We do not know that she is dishonored from her family for marrying him. The opera is able to convey emotion through their facial expressions and acting whereas the Claymation version relies on the music of the opera to convey the emotions it is trying to portray. Overall, I think that Madama Butterfly is a beautiful tragic story with amazing music.