Melodrama: meaning and examples

Within literature we find different genres that are recognized for having very specific characteristics and uses. This is the case of melodrama, a genre in which music and drama go hand in hand to tell us an emotional story and where emotions take on a strong role. In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to discover meaning of melodrama with examples and we will detail the most notable characteristics of the genre. In this way, you can learn to easily detect when you are faced with a melodramatic text. We started!

We started this lesson by talking about the meaning of melodrama in order to better understand what kind ofliterary genre we meet. If we analyze the etymology of the word we find that melodrama comes from the Greek "melos" and from "drama", therefore, it is the union of music and dramatic action.

Melodrama began in the theatrical sphere, being the oldest genre of dramatic representation; however, nowadays we can find films, series, operas and melodramatic novels. Actually, it is any kind of dramatic action that features a

sentimental component very exalted and what is he pursuing goal to thrill the audience.

In western theater, melodrama is a type of sentimental drama that tells us about the misadventures of its protagonists. The subject on which these works revolve are sentimental and loving and, normally, they usually have a happy ending. It is common to meet regular characters in literature such as the hero, heroine and villain, character-types that may appear modernized but that, in the end, fulfill the same dramatic function as in the classic works.

The musical component of melodrama is characterized by music is used with emotional functions: At key moments in the plot, a musical accompaniment is played that adds depth and emotion to the story that is being told.

Origin of melodrama

We are going to delve more into the genre of melodrama and, thus, know its origin. You should know that it was in France that this type of dramatic work was cultivated for the first time; specifically, Guilbert de Pixérécourt was the first melodramatic author to present at the XVIII his "Coelina", a work translated in England under the name "A Tale of Mystery" and which marked the appearance of the new genre in the United Kingdom.

Although originally, the melodrama had an important presence of the music and singing, from the XIX these elements they were losing importance and, to this day, they are more of a dramatic complement than an element of the genre. This happened because, thanks to the development of the theater, more and more realism was achieved to the works and, therefore, other sounds and sound effects could be recreated without resorting to music.

During the XX, the genre of melodrama in the theater was losing popularity since deeper, more real and less tearful works were sought. However, this form continues to appear in television series or in scenes from plays, movies or books.

Now that you know the meaning of melodrama, let's go into detail on the peculiarities of this genre. It is important to know the outstanding features in order to, thus, learn to differentiate melodramatic texts from texts that are of another genre. They are as follows:

• Exacerbated emotion: One of the characteristics of the most basic melodrama is that it is a genre that carries the emotions to exalted levels to give greater intensity to the plot and the experiences of the characters.
• Great expressiveness: It is also important to know that, to achieve this dramatic exaggeration, the interpretation on the part of the actors and actresses is also usually exalted and the extreme gestures that are used to recreate the feelings.
• Love theme: melodramatic works usually tell us an impossible love story. Lovers will have to overcome a large number of impediments in order to be together.
• Happy ending: it is also a characteristic of the genre to finish happily. Lovers, after great struggle and great effort, can end up happily together.
• Characters-type: in melodramas, the characters fulfill specific functions within the play. For this reason, it is common for us to meet the hero, the heroine and the villain, the three protagonists who make a conflict exist and there is a plot.
• Fight between good and evil: Melodrama heroes often represent good while the villain or roadblocks represent evil. Therefore, the work continues to be a struggle between both forces and, in the end, the good ends up winning.

Differences between drama and melodrama

Now that we know the meaning and characteristics of melodrama, it is important that we take a parenthesis to see the differences between it. drama.

In the drama we find stories that, although they are tearful, are more contained. Emotions and characters are shown in a way more subtle and natural. In melodrama, any event or problem is taken to the extreme of pain and suffering and, in drama, these emotions are managed in a simpler way. The actors in the drama also carry out a more restrained job and do not use exaggerated or overstated gestures.

In the case of drama, the story it doesn't have to end with a happy ending. The playwright will be in charge of deciding the future of his characters and the plot that he has concocted. In addition, the characters of the drama do not have the pre-established roles, they can be deeper characters and with a greater psychology.

And we end this lesson by talking about examples of melodrama that will help you better understand what this literary genre that we are analyzing is like. Depending on the medium in which the genre is used, we have different references so, below, we will analyze the different types that we can find.

Melodrama at the opera

It is known that the melodrama was first used in opera; in fact, around the 1774 It is when we find melodramatic operas in which the characters and the music are given more importance. Here we are faced with a type of genre in which music and dramatic action have great importance. Some examples of melodrama in opera are:

• Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni
• Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo
• La bohème, Tosca Y Madama butterfly by Giacomo Puccini

The melodrama in the theater

In 1800, melodrama also began to be cultivated in the theater. In fact, the term was used for the first time to define a more musical and dramatic type of show that emerged after the French Revolution. These works were characterized by using pantomimes, machines and many dances that contributed to a surprising staging. Melodrama is considered the main theatrical genre of the XIX. Some examples of melodrama in the theater are:

• Coeline by D René-Charles Guilbert.
• Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

Melodrama in the cinema

In the seventh art we also find the appearance of melodramatic films. At first, this term was used to refer to adventure films, but later it was used for emotional films and with a very crude sentimental charge. They are films that have a strong emotional component and that pursue the goal of exciting the audience. Some examples are:

• The Great Gatsby by Jack Clayton
• gone With the Wind by Victor Fleming
• Titanic by James Cameron

Melodrama on television

Also on television there is a strong presence of melodramas, especially in soap operas. In this type of television format, it is committed to creating stories full of tangles where the characters suffer and suffer for many chapters to end with a happy ending. Series that have a plot that hooks viewers and that has emotional elements taken to the extreme.