Madama Butterfly

Title: Madama Butterfly
Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Premiere: 1904, Italian
Setting: Nagasaki, Japan, early 20th century
Main Characters:

• Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly, a young geisha)

• Pinkerton (a U.S. naval officer)

• Suzuki (Cio-Cio-San’s maid)

• Sharpless (the American consul)

Plot Summary:
Cio-Cio-San, a young Japanese geisha, falls in love with Pinkerton, a U.S. naval officer. Believing their marriage is real, she renounces her culture and waits faithfully for his return. Years later, Pinkerton arrives with his American wife to take their child away. Heartbroken, Cio-Cio-San bids farewell to her son and takes her own life.

Key Themes & Significance:
A tragic story of love, cultural clash, and betrayal, Madama Butterfly is one of Puccini’s most emotionally powerful operas. Its haunting melodies and poignant drama have made it an enduring favorite in the operatic canon.