Final answer:
Melodrama works on a purely emotional level, with clear divisions between good and evil and a predictable plot leading to a happy ending.
Step-by-step explanation:
In a melodrama, the characters are usually ordinary people who face extraordinary-borderline impossible-circumstances. Themes and subjects tend to be rather serious, with a distinct division between good and evil, culminating in a happy ending. The main idea behind most melodramas is that something wrong has happened or is about to happen and justice needs to prevail, and it does. A common plot line would involve a damsel in distress being sexually threatened or harassed until the hero comes and saves her from the villain. Plots tend to be straightforward, following the cause/effect chain of events, stereotypical, and therefore predictable. The audience has an underlying perception of what will happen and how it all is going to end.