Madame Butterfly synopsis
Act I
Pinkerton, a US Navy lieutenant, wants to marry a Japanese woman. The marriage was arranged by the marriage broker Goro, who also provided Pinkerton with a house and handled all of the formalities in exchange for a fee. In the new house, we are introduced to the American Consul, Sharpless, who is the only American in the wedding party. He warns Pinkerton about the consequences of this ill-conceived marriage, but Pinkerton, who can only think about his own pleasure at this moment, says that he will marry a real American bride some day.
His bride, Cio-Cio San, enters with her friends. Everyone is very excited and Cio-Cio San is looking forward to the wedding. She says that because her family is so poor, she is forced to work as a geisha. Indeed, her father took his own life as a matter of honour (in the traditional Japanese fashion). Butterfly longs for another life in another culture and she would do anything to please Pinkerton and be happy with him; it is her only chance.
Her relatives enter. They make fun of Pinkerton just as he makes fun of them. The wedding ceremony is performed quickly. However, Cio-Cio San’s uncle – an old priest – suddenly appears. He accuses her of betraying her culture and subsequently disowns her. The entire family leaves the house in a rage and Butterfly is left alone with Pinkerton.
Thus begins a wedding night between two people who barely know each other: they plunge into their passion all the more, heedless of the consequences, and rush head first into this adventure together.
PAUS
Act II , three years later
Three years later Pinkerton left the country shortly after the wedding and returned to America. Since then, Butterfly sits in her house waiting for him to return. Butterfly’s friend, Suzuki, laments about their poverty and hopeless situation, but Butterfly is not interested; she is confident that Pinkerton will return and will continue to wait. The Consul, Sharpless, comes to visit Butterfly for the first time since the wedding to bring her news about Pinkerton, but she will not let him speak. Then Goro appears with a rich Japanese man, Yamadori, who is keen to marry Butterfly. She scorns him and declares her devotion to her marriage with Pinkerton, despite the fact that nobody else believes in it.
After the men leave, Sharpless finally begins reading Butterfly the letter from Pinkerton, which announces his return. However, he does not manage to read the entire letter. He confronts Butterfly with the possibility that Pinkerton will not come back to her. Then Butterfly brings a small child in from the next room. He is her son and Pinkerton is his father – and nobody knows about the child. Sharpless promises to tell Pinkerton about the child.
Goro, who has been speaking ill of Butterfly in the neighbourhood, is taken to task by Suzuki and then nearly killed by Butterfly. Just after they have thrown Goro out they hear the sound of a cannon in the harbour, signalling the arrival of an American ship. Butterfly is convinced that Pinkerton is on his way to her and begins rushing around to decorate the house. She then readies herself and the child and, together with Suzuki, they await his arrival.
Act III
Butterfly waits all night, but Pinkerton does not return. Suzuki persuades her to take the child and get some rest. As soon as Butterfly leaves the room, Sharpless and Pinkerton appear at the house accompanied by a woman – Pinkerton’s American wife, Kate. With Suzuki’s help they want to persuade Butterfly to entrust the child to Pinkerton and his new wife so that he can grow up in America, where conditions are better. Pinkerton is confronted with his guilt for the first time, but he feels unable to confront Butterfly in person and flees the moment he hears her voice.
When Butterfly enters, no one wants to tell her the truth. However, she soon realises that the other woman is Pinkerton’s new wife and that they plan to take the child away from her. She does not protest; she merely requests half an hour to say her goodbyes. Once alone, she takes the traditional dagger that her father used to kill himself and commits harakiri: “Death with honour when one can no longer live with honour.”
