Madame Morrible

This is a list of characters that appear in Gregory Maguire’s Wicked series.

The protagonist of the first book, Elphaba is a green-skinned girl who later becomes known as the Wicked Witch of the West. Her birth is shocking to her parents, Melena Thropp and Frexspar the Godly, as in addition to her green skin she had razor sharp teeth (she bites the finger off of a midwife moments after her birth) so Melena refuses to breast feed her. Her father, a union minister, believes it is his fault and Elphaba’s condition is a punishment from the Unnamed God. She attends Shiz University where she meets Glinda and, although they don’t get on at first, become close friends. She also rescues the cowardly lion as a cub from a science experiment. She eventually runs away to the Emerald City to join a resistance group against the Wizard. An Animal rights activist, Elphaba is involved in an assassination attempt on Madame Morrible. She shares an illicit relationship with Fiyero, whose death causes her to abandon her revolutionary ideals. She later joins a mauntery where she apparently gives birth to Fiyero’s illegitimate son Liir, before leaving to travel to Kiamo Ko castle in the Vinkus. There she hopes to beg forgiveness from Fiyero’s wife Sarima but is unsuccessful. Instead she finds the Grimmerie, the book of magic, and hones her sorcery skills. She is apparently killed by Dorothy when the girl throws a bucket of water on her to extinguish a dress fire. Her apparent death is never made clear as only two people witnesses it; Dorothy who when questioned in Out of Oz says was immediately blinded by acrid smoke so is unsure of what happen; and Nanny who checked the parapet then locked the door. Afterwards Nanny is often heard asking if Elphaba is coming down out of her room, though most of the characters pass this off as senility. However, when Rain questions her about what she saw, she tells her quite forcefully its none of her business. There is a chapter at the end of Out of Oz that is somewhat cryptic as to her survival. Glinda, who is locked up in Southstair prison, has her prison door opened by someone she recognises as a friend, and says ‘you wicked thing’. She is named after Saint Aelphaba of the Waterfall by her father. Elphaba acquires the nickname Wicked Witch of the West more because of her sister's nickname (the Wicked Witch of the East, who was so named by her political opponents) and not for any wicked deeds. Elphaba's name is derived from sounding out the initials of Oz author L. Frank Baum's name. She is later referred to in the book as simply the Witch. Late in the book it is revealed that she is the daughter of The Wizard. In the original Broadway production of the musical, she was played by Idina Menzel. In the musical it is revealed she faked her death in order to be with Fiyero.

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