Elphaba Thropp
Elphaba is the now-famous name given to the character previously known only as the Wicked Witch of the West. She is the protagonist in this retelling of the familiar stories conceived in the children’s novels of L. Frank Baum. Her name was conceived by the author of the book from the letters of that creator of the character: L-F-Ba.
Galinda
The character more familiarly known as Glinda the Good Witch does not begin with that particular spelling and pronunciation. She is also revealed to be longtime friends with Elphaba in relationship that begins in college, although the friendship is prickly at best.
Nessarose Thropp
Nessarose is the character that is much better known to longtime fans of the famous 1939 musical film as the poor witch upon whom Dorothy’s house lands when it is transported to Oz from Kansas. She is the younger sister of Elphaba: the Wicked Witch of the East.
Dorothy
Dorothy does appear in the story and showing up in Oz does change everything, but she is not what one would normally refer to as a major character. She is certainly not at the center of the narrative as in the beloved film adaptation. For the most part, her adventures in Oz do play out as in the movie, but the machinations behind the scenes are far more sinister.
The Wizard of Oz
The Wicked Witch of the West is not the only character who undergoes a massive transformation in audience perception in the novel. Elphaba is constructed as a far more complicated figure than merely being a wickedly vengeful witch. The Wizard becomes in this version much more than a bumbling con man with a slightly menacing agenda. He is a full-fledged fascist tyrant who is more than just a little wicked.
Dr. Dillamond
A number of new and interesting characters are introduced to the reader who returns to Oz armed only with the knowledge gained of it from the famous musical film. Of them all, Dr. Dillamond is, arguably, the most significant as he is the representative of what in the film is presented only in the from of the Cowardly Lion. Central to the plot is a divergence between Animals and animals. The latter are that which we know. The former are sentient beings capable of behaving and interacting in society like humans but who are to various degrees not viewed or treated quite as equal to humans by that society. Dillamond is Elphaba’s beloved college professor.
Fiyero
Fiyero is a prince of one of the lands forming Oz, the Vinkus. As is often the case, his marriage has been planned since he was quite young, but nevertheless he becomes Elphaba’s lover and really the only man with whom she develops any sort of romantic interest. It is, of course, complicated right down to the question of his paternity of Liir who may or may not be the son she may or may not have borne as a result of her relationship with Fiyero.
Boq
As with so many of the characters in this tale of Oz, Boq is also quite a complex figure. He has known Elphaba since childhood, but really only becomes a major character in her story arc as a result of his unrequited passion for Galinda. It is really not until Dorothy finally lands in Oz that Boq’s relationship with Elphaba becomes a thing of real significance as he tries to keep her pursuing her plans for vengeful over the theft of her sister’s shoes as he swirls deeper and deeper in paranoia over who can be trusted in the full-scale authoritarian takeover of Oz by the Wizard.
