Why Nessarose becomes the Wicked Witch of the East in The Wizard of Oz

This article contains potential spoilers for “Wicked: For Good.”

The first part of the adaptation of the movie “Wicked”. was a huge success at the box officecertified new title by critics on Rotten Tomatoes and even became an unexpected mid-award season darling. While many have debated the decision to split the Tony Award-winning musical into two films (this writer personally supports the split), which has given fans plenty of time to speculate on what to expect in “Wicked: For Good.” Well, that is, fans who have never read Gregory Maguire's Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which inspired the stage musical that serves as the basis for the film.

However, as a prelude to The Wizard of Oz, there are a few things fans know to come. after the end of the first “Wicked” movie. The Wizard is a charlatan who escapes from Oz in his hot air balloon, Dorothy Gale melts Elphaba in search of her broom to return to Kansas, and perhaps most importantly, Dorothy's house is engulfed in a tornado and descends. over the Wicked Witch of the East. If you're only familiar with the 1939 film, you know that the Wicked Witch of the East dies, but you probably don't know anything about her. Thankfully, “Wicked: Part One” introduced us all to the tragically beautiful Nesarozi, the beautifully tragic Elphaba's baby.

Nessarose is very cute in Wicked: Part One, how the hell does she become the Wicked Witch of the East? Let's walk along the yellow brick road and find out.

Nesaroz Trop is the younger sister of Elphaba and the daughter of Melena Trop and Fraxpar the Godly, the former governor of Munchkinland. In the book, she is born prematurely and without arms, requiring constant care, but in the musical, she is born paralyzed and requires the use of a wheelchair. Her father gave her the enchanted silver shoes (ruby red slippers in The Wizard of Oz) and they remain her most prized possession. In both versions of the story, Nesaroze is incredibly beautiful, but her use of a wheelchair initially marks her as a tragic character.

Nesarose is spoiled compared to Elphaba because her disability motivated her father and their nanny to pay attention to her. It also puts pressure on Elphaba to put her wants and needs second to her sister's passions. Despite this simmering conflict, Elphaba cares deeply for Nessa, even if that care isn't always reciprocated, and even if Elphaba has a mild resentment towards her little sister. As a child, she is played by Cecilia Collette Taylor, a young actress with Spina Bifida.

Although unbeknownst to them in their younger years, Elphaba and Nessarose are actually half-sisters, as Elphaba's father is the Wizard of Oz, and her green skin is attributed to the green elixir consumed by the wizard and their mother. Elphaba and Nesaroze were very close as children, with Elphaba even acting as a “mother figure” to Nessa after the death of their own mother, which left their father deeply depressed. However, the seeds of resentment were planted because Nessa's physical disability stems from her mother being forced to chew milkweed during pregnancy in hopes that this child would not be born with green skin like Elphaba.

Even though it clearly wasn't Elphaba's fault, it's easier for Nessa to blame her than to accept that her parents were in the wrong, especially when their father blames his eldest daughter instead of his own decisions in the same way. It also wracked Elphaba with guilt, inspiring her to protect her baby. She also blames herself, and so Nessa easily manipulates her under the pretense that she “deserves” it.

When the girls arrive at Shiza, Frexparr demands that Elphaba follow her to make sure Nesarose is settled and safe. Her protectiveness comes into play when Head Shizstress Miss Coddle (Keala Settle) tries to grab Ness's wheelchair to push her around the university to get away from Elphaba. In an attempt to stop them, Elphaba's uncontrollable powers cause a huge scene, including Nessa being thrown into the air in front of everyone. “This was my chance, my new beginning,” Nessa tells her before being moved from the heart. But this magic show earns Elphaba a place in Shiza, and the sisters stay in each other's lives. Later, Elphaba is smitten with Ness when Bok invites the latter to the Ozdust Ball, and when she learns that Glinda is the reason Bok asked her sister (even though Glinda pawned it off so she could go with Prince Fyero), Elphaba convinces madam Morrib to allow Glinda to attend the seminary to learn witchcraft, despite her “disgust” for the would-be good witch.

The following information comes from the second act of the Wicked musical, so it's possible that Wicked: For Good will change certain details about Nessa's on-screen storyline.

After Elphaba is painted as the Wicked Witch of the West in revenge for not agreeing to do the bidding of the Wizard of Oz and Madam Morrible, Nesaroze marries Bock and becomes the Eminence of Minkinland. Their father has died of shame at Elphaba's accepted misdeed, and since everyone in Oz knows that Nessarose is Elphaba's sister, she has become bitter and cruel. After years on the run, Elphaba seeks refuge with her sister, who refuses to help her and cites her position as an elected official as a reason to avoid being a fugitive.

But these years have also given Nessarose plenty of time to grow her anger at her sister—not because she thinks she's evil, but because Elphaba's magic is so powerful, Nessa is furious that her sister never used her powers. , to let her walk. without help. Elphaba, overcome with guilt, then enchants Nessa's silver shoes. They go from silver to an iconic ruby ​​red and she is able to walk.

Nesarose treats Bock not as a husband but as a servant because she knows deep down that he never truly loved her and still loves Glinda. When her engagement to Prince Fiijero is announced, Boca wants to tell the truth, inspiring Nessaroz to cast a spell from the Grimmerie. However, she is wrong and it makes Bock's heart sink. Her obsession with keeping Bock from leaving her and her resentment of her sister's reputation (as well as the reputation of “causing” her father's death) get the better of her. If anyone is truly evil in Oz, it's Nessarose. But it's not an evil she was born with, it was, as Glinda explains, an evil forced upon her.

Nesaroz's anger and bitterness was directed not only at her sister, but also at Bock and all of Minkinland. She engaged in one-sided business deals, cruelty to her constituents, and used her basic magical skills to control other people. There's a reason that in The Wizard of Oz, the Munchkins of Minkinland sing “Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead” after Dorothy Gale's house falls on her, killing her. As Elphaba has been dubbed the “Wicked Witch of the West”, Nessarose is known as the “Wicked Witch of the East”.

“Wicked: For Good” is currently scheduled to hit theaters on November 21, 2025.