Functions of Melodrama

Catharsis-

This term is used to describe the effects of tragedy on the audience, for example for the audience to get an emotional release. It is derived from Greek, ‘κάθαρσις’ ‘katharsis’ which means purification or cleansing.

There are three mains aspects of catharsis, of which are purgation, purification and intellectual clarification through emotions, most often tragedy.

Many historical figures such as Aristotle the philsopher and Sigmund Freud the psychologist used catharsis within their theories as ways of purification and cleansing.

This links to melodrama because audiences watch it for an emotional release whether it be stress or an underlying conflict within themselves. An easy way to relieve this stress is through watching melodrama because the tragedy creates a subconscious release of emotions and purifies the mind and evokes strong emotions.

Escapism-

This term is used to describe how people use recreational activities as a form of escape from their lives if they are unhappy or have attained negative aspects. Melodrama is a good form of escapism because the strands act as a relief to the audience because the characters are going through their own problems that the audience can either relate to themselves or it makes them feel better about themselves as a whole.
More often than not people watch these things to make their lives seem better, if a character on 'Corrie' is going through a rough patch then it gives the audience a chance to forget their own worries and appreciate how lucky they are.

Realism-

Characters in melodrama are not supposed to be realistic as the whole point of melodrama is to be as dramatic, exaggerated and stereotypical as possible. When on stage the characters speak their lines to the audience rather than to each other, this rules out a sense of realism because its not as if you are looking into the lives of separate character, rather you are being pulled into it. The moment they stop speaking their characters could be lost or the actors can over exaggerate their movements for visual pleasure, where as in order to create a sense of realism the characters must be constantly portrayed and their actions as natural as possible as if it were second nature to them and they were in fact the character and not their own person.

Once again the characters are completely stereotyped and there is not an in between, if a character does bad things they are bad and should always be bad, instead of in soap operas where they are able to change and adapt to the things or people around them being a more complex character.