Worksheet M. Butterfly

Doug Cooney, Professor

Cypress College/Theatre Dept.

Diversity in American Theater

Fall 2019

Worksheet for “M. Butterfly”

David Henry Hwang’s “M. Butterfly” examines issues of racism, sexism and imperialism in relation to the true-life story of a French diplomat who became romantically involved with a Chinese woman, only to discover that she was, in fact, a male spy.

CHARACTERS: A play includes the main, central characters – and also supporting characters.

Here, the central characters include Gallimard, the French man, and Song, the Chinese man who impersonates a woman. Their story, however, also involves distinct supporting characters. Write a brief description of each of the following:

a) HELGA b) CHIN c) MARC

2. In the afterword to the play, Hwang writes that his Chinese-American friends would sometimes to refer to a female friend, saying “she’s pulling a Butterfly.” What does it mean to “pull” a Butterfly?

3. In the play, Gallimard compares his involvement with Song to the way Lt. Pinkerton treats Madame Butterfly in the opera, “Madame Butterfly.” Gallimard asks “while we men might want to kick Pinkerton, who among us would not want to be Pinkerton?” What is the playwright referring to? Do you agree or disagree – and why?

4. In the play, Gallimard becomes tangentially involved in the outbreak of war between the United States and Vietnam. What does the United States’ military interest in Vietnam have to do with a play about a French diplomat involved with a Chinese spy?