Final answer:
Melodramas take place in the public or private intimate space of the romantic couple.
Step-by-step explanation:
In a melodrama, the action (whatever happens to the characters) is more important than the characters themselves (who tend to overplay their emotions and emerge as stock characters). Even today, when we say someone or something is melodramatic, we usually mean that it is overly emotional.
Melodramas tend to take place in the public space or in the private, intimate space of the romantic couple. The setting helps to create the intense emotions and dramatic situations that are characteristic of melodramas.