Wicked Characters

Elphaba Thropp, later known as the Wicked Witch of the West, is the novel’s protagonist. Born with green skin, sharp teeth, and an allergy to water, she is othered from birth—even by her parents, Frex… read analysis of Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of the West)

Glinda, born Galinda Arduenna of the Uplands, begins her arc as a privileged and status-conscious young woman from Gillikin attending Shiz University. Superficial and self-absorbed, she slowly develops a moral conscience through her unlikely friendship… read analysis of Galinda (Glinda)

The Wizard of Oz, ruler of the Emerald City, is the primary antagonist. Once an Irishman in America, he endured years of prejudice before a failed suicide attempt by drowning. When he arrives in Oz… read analysis of The Wizard

Fiyero Tigelaar is an Arjiki prince from the Vinkus whom Elphaba first meets as a student at Shiz. Described as dark-skinned with distinctive blue diamond tattoos—traditional Arjiki facial markings—he stands apart from his peers, a… read analysis of Fiyero

Boq, a Munchkinlander, is Elphaba’s first real friend at Shiz University. However, they initially meet as toddlers at Gawnette’s daycare. He’s polite, earnest, and eager to impress, and his social circle at Shiz… read analysis of Boq

Nessarose Thropp, later known as the Wicked Witch of the East, is Elphaba’s younger sister. While pregnant with Nessa, Melena takes pills from a mysterious woman named Yackle, hoping to prevent another green-skinned… read analysis of Nessarose

Frexspar “Frex” the Godly is a devout but largely ineffective Unionist minister and the father of Elphaba, Nessarose, and Shell—though the novel suggests that he may not be Nessa’s biological father. Frex… read analysis of Frex

Melena, Frex’s wife and mother to Elphaba, Nessarose, and Shell, is born into Munchkinland aristocracy and set to inherit the title of Eminent Thropp upon her grandmother’s death. Though she dies… read analysis of Melena

Nanny is Melena’s childhood caretaker who helps raise Elphaba after her birth. Practical, blunt, and loyal to the Thropp family, she remains a constant presence through multiple generations. Due to Nessarose’s disability, much… read analysis of Nanny

Turtle Heart is a handsome glassblower from Quadling Country who begins an affair with Melena. When Frex returns from ministering, he quickly accepts Turtle Heart’s presence in their home. Over time, Frex comes to… read analysis of Turtle Heart

Doctor Dillamond is a Professor of Biological Arts at Shiz University and a Goat—an Ozian “Animal” with the ability to think and speak like a human. He dedicates himself to researching the true origins of… read analysis of Doctor Dillamond

Liir is the illegitimate son of Elphaba and Fiyero, though he doesn’t know either parent’s identity for much of his early life. Born while Elphaba is essentially comatose at a convent, he spends his… read analysis of Liir

Dorothy Gale is a young girl from Kansas who arrives in Oz when a tornado carries her farmhouse into Munchkinland, killing Nessarose, the Wicked Witch of the East. Cheerful and polite but quite naïve… read analysis of Dorothy Gale

Sarima is the Dowager Princess of the Arjikis in the Vinkus, Fiyero’s wife, and mother to their three children—Irji, Manek, and Nor. After Fiyero’s death at the hands of the… read analysis of Sarima

Nor is the only daughter and youngest child of Sarima and Fiyero, and arguably Sarima’s favorite. Naturally much kinder and more curious about the world than her older brothers, Irji and Manek, she… read analysis of Nor

Manek is Sarima and Fiyero’s middle child and youngest son. The most cruel and volatile of their children, he is also the one Sarima and her sisters would most like to see inherit Kiamo… read analysis of Manek

Irji is Sarima and Fiyero’s eldest son. Despite his position, he shows little desire for authority, often letting his younger brother Manek dominate and bully him. His closeness to his younger sister Nor is… read analysis of Irji

Ama Clutch, Galinda’s caretaker and governess, accompanies her to Shiz. Before boarding the train, she steps on a rusty nail and is hospitalized, leaving Galinda to initially arrive at school alone. Because Ama Clutch… read analysis of Ama Clutch

Yackle is an enigmatic crone whose origins, motives, and even mortality—like to the dwarf’s—are uncertain. She operates on the fringes of Ozian society, surfacing at pivotal moments to influence the fates of others, especially… read analysis of Yackle

The dwarf is the primary operator of the Clock of the Time Dragon, a mobile, mechanical, semi-prophetic theater that stages dramatic morality plays laced with social commentary and wild, explicit imagery. A sly figure… read analysis of The Dwarf

A legendary figure in Ozian folklore, the Kumbric Witch, also known as Kumbricia, is widely regarded as evil and the source of original sin. She is typically associated with the pleasure faith and is often… read analysis of The Kumbric Witch

According to many pagan Ozian faiths and Lurlinism, The Fairy Queen Lurline is the mythic founder of Oz, believed to have enchanted the land into existence and given birth to its one true ruler, Ozma… read analysis of The Fairy Queen Lurline

The Unnamed God is the central deity of Unionism, a monotheistic, morally absolutist religion dominant throughout most of Oz (with some similarities to modern-day Christianity). Frex, Elphaba and Nessa’s father, is a devout… read analysis of The Unnamed God

Tibbett is a friend of Boq’s from Shiz. He and Crope meet Boq during their summertime job at the Three Queens library, where they assist Elphaba in her important research for Doctor Dillamond… read analysis of Tibbett

The Gillikinese Avaric, who later becomes Margreave of Tenmeadows, attends Briscoe College at Shiz with Boq. Described as handsome, arrogant, and effortlessly cool, he breezes easily through Oz’s elite circles. At Shiz, he and… read analysis of Avaric

Grommetik is a mechanical, seemingly sentient “tiktok” creature who functions as Madame Morrible’s personal spy. He is ultimately revealed to be Doctor Dillamond’s murderer, as Ama Clutch claimed to have seen him wielding… read analysis of Grommetik

Princess Nastoya is the leader of the Scrow tribe in the Vinkus. She reveals her true form—an Elephant—to Elphaba, explaining that she was once cursed to appear as a human woman. In light of… read analysis of Princess Nastoya

Chistery is a snow monkey Elphaba rescues as a baby on her way to Kiamo Ko in the Vinkus. Over the years, he becomes her close companion. Elphaba tries—and mostly fails—to teach him how to… read analysis of Chistery

Doctor Nikidik replaces Doctor Dillamond as a professor at Shiz University after Dillamond’s murder. When he attempts to use a caged Lion cub in a classroom demonstration to measure the pain threshold of Animals, this… read analysis of Doctor Nikidik

Shell is Elphaba and Nessarose’s younger brother and the only son of Frex and Melena. Melena dies in childbirth, leaving Nanny and Frex to raise him. Shell is named after Turtle Heart… read analysis of Shell

Once a Munchkinland woodcutter named Nick Chopper, he becomes the Tin Woodman through Nessarose’s magical intervention. One of Nessa’s Munchkinlander subjects enlists her help to prevent her employee, a young maiden, from running off… read analysis of The Tin Woodman (Nick Chopper)

Made entirely of straw, the Scarecrow travels with Dorothy, the Tin Woodman, and the Lion to seek a brain from the Wizard. Elphaba becomes convinced, without any real proof, that he is… read analysis of The Scarecrow

The Lion travels with Dorothy, the Tin Woodman, and the Scarecrow in hopes of gaining courage from the Wizard. Elphaba believes he is the same Lion cub that Dr. Nikidik once tried… read analysis of The Lion

Oatsie Manglehand is the tough, no-nonsense operator of the Grasstrail Train, hired by the nuns of the Cloister of Saint Glinda to transport Elphaba from the Emerald City to the Vinkus. Confident and forthright, Oatsie… read analysis of Oatsie Manglehand

Ozma is the name of the original ruler of Oz, the legendary daughter of the Fairy Queen Lurline. For generations, every ruler of Oz has taken the name Ozma, with many believing each to… read analysis of Ozma

Milla is one of Galinda’s glamorous, catty friends at Shiz University, alongside Pfannee and Shenshen. After their school years, she marries Boq in what the novel hints was a reluctant arrangement on her… read analysis of Milla

Pfannee, one of Galinda’s wealthy and popular Shiz friends, is the most openly cruel of the group. During their first summer break, Pfannee writes to Elphaba pretending to be Galinda and invites her to… read analysis of Pfannee

Crope is a close friend of Tibbett, and they meet Boq while working in the Three Queens library at Shiz over the summer. Alongside Boq, he helps Elphaba with Doctor Dillamond’s research on… read analysis of Crope

Commander Cherrystone is the lead officer of the Wizard’s Gale Force stationed in Red Windmill, a Vinkus village south of Kiamo Ko. Liir becomes fascinated with Cherrystone and often visits the soldiers’ barracks, defying… read analysis of Commander Cherrystone