Previous
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, whom his parents loved and whose death Frex feels largely responsible for. Shell grows up mostly in the background of Wicked, his actions discussed by others more often than shown. In adulthood, he becomes increasingly defiant toward the Wizard’s regime, engaging in covert acts of resistance in the Emerald City.
Get the entire Wicked LitChart as a printable PDF.
Shell Character Timeline in Wicked
The timeline below shows where the character Shell appears in Wicked. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
11. The Charmed Circle
...Elphaba explained that their mother, Melena, died giving birth to her and Nessa’s younger brother, Shell, who’s now about 10 years old.
(full context)
...Nessarose—a devout unionist and a true beauty, even without her arms—is their father’s favorite, while Shell, being “male, and white, and whole,” would have likely been their mother’s favorite had she...
(full context)
16. The Murder and Its Afterlife
...Kiamo Ko, Elphaba receives news of the tornado and Nessa’s death by carrier pigeon from Shell. She hardly registers the news before going back to her work, stitching wings onto a...
(full context)
