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By: Jasper Cunneen
Line: “Wael, twenty, mebby; an’ sa-ey, w’en we see him comin’ quick up path - so - so - so - to look for liddle wive - me - me jus’ goin’ hide behind shoji an’ watch an’ make believe me gone ‘way…”
The line I chose to write about truly exemplified the cruelty that Lieutenant Pinkerton has done to Madame Butterfly. In the line, Madame Butterfly is ecstatic because she thinks that Pinkerton will soon return to her. However, she does not know that Pinkerton’s love for her is false. She dreams of the day he returns and even plans out a little surprise of her own. It is such a tragedy when Pinkerton finally does return but with an American woman. Madame Butterfly had completely changed her ways and had given herself completely to Pinkerton. The sadness of her death in the end is compounded by how innocent she remained the entire time.
I think it is curious that the name of Madame Butterfly’s son changes throughout the play, from Trouble to Joy. I believe this symbolizes that his identity is not permanent, and instead it varies with circumstance, similarly to the “love” of his parents.
His role in the play is the physical manifestation of love: once the love between ChoChoSan and Lieutenant Pinkerton is accepted to be dead, he moves to the arms of Kate, an elitist American snob. While this conclusion is aggravating, it sheds light on the “realist” aspect of Belasco works. In reality, an American officer would leave a Japanese native pregnant [with the promise of love] and attempt to buy his peace of mind. In reality the obnoxious, Kate would get everything she wanted, even if she had the audacity to call another human being a “plaything.”
Bravo Belasco for depressing us all with “reality.” And by “us all,” I mean me.
-Mariya Morgaylo
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Madame Butterfly, which seems to be yet another story of an inter-racial love affair. I thought Madame Butterfly’s naive innocence added to the overall drama within the play. I really did think that the broken english in Madame Butterfly’s dialogue was uncontrollably irritating and frustrating, and I found myself struggling to make sense of her broken english. However, I found that Madame Butterfly’s most sincere longing and love for Pinkerton was very touching, as only the purest of hearts would allow.
Overall, this libretto was very beautiful, and most impressionable was Madame Butterfly’s devotion to Pinkerton.
Yura Lee
IDC 1001H, Professor Susan Tenneriello
I enjoyed reading this well-written libretto; it’s one of the most interesting pieces we’ve been assigned this semester. Although I sometimes became frustrated trying to understand Madame Butterfly and Suzuki’s broken English, I realize their pronunciation helped complete the overall picture. Madame Butterfly’s little knowledge of English made her vulnerable and prevented her from understanding the reality of her situation. Or perhaps it was naivety that made Madame Butterfly await Pinkterton’s return. After all, Sharpless and Yakadori hinted several times that Pinkerton had deserted her, and according to Japanese law, that meant divorce. She still refused to believe them and was finally forced to see reality the harsh way- meeting Pinkerton’s new wife. Although Pinkerton is partially at fault for her tragic end, Madame Butterfly should never have given herself or her child false hope. She misinterpreted his intentions, and wasted years waiting for the robins to nest again.
I thought it was excellently written. The opera is very touching. Madame Butterly’s anxiousness for Lieutenant Pinkerton’s return, and her and her grief when she finds out he has remarried are both beautifully illustrated in the libretto. There is one part that I found was very interesting. On page 25, there was a dialogue regarding the child’s name:
“Sharpless (Shaking hands with child.) Hm… hm… what’s your name?
Madame Butterfly. Trouble. Japanese bebby always change it name. I was thinkin’ some day w’en he come back, change it to joy.”
I thought these few lines beautifully describe Madame Butterfly’s longing for Lieutenant Pinkerton’s return, as well as her pain she feels that he hasn’t returned. It is a sort of paradox: she is optimistic that he returns, yet a part of her knows that there will be no happy ending.
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