- Emotional: Melodramas are characterized by their strong emotions, such as love, hate, joy, sorrow, and anger.
- Conflict: Melodramas typically involve a conflict between good and evil, or between two opposing forces.
- Sentimentality: Melodramas often appeal to the audience's emotions, and may include sentimental scenes or moments.
- Exaggeration: Melodramas often exaggerate the emotions and situations depicted, in order to create a more dramatic effect.
- Romance: Melodramas often include romantic elements, such as love triangles or star-crossed lovers.
- Tragedy: Melodramas often end in tragedy, with the protagonist dying or suffering some other misfortune.
- Morality: Melodramas often explore moral themes, such as the struggle between good and evil, or the consequences of one's actions.
- Villains: Melodramas often feature villains who are pure evil, and who are often responsible for the protagonist's suffering.
- Heroes: Melodramas often feature heroes who are noble and virtuous, and who ultimately triumph over evil.