Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Wicked, the film and Broadway show.WhenWickedbegins, it’s shortly after Elphaba, The Wicked Witch of the West, is reportedly killed. As a result, the citizens of Munchkinland celebrate her death, with Glinda the Good Witch joining in. While Glinda is a major part of this celebration and theWicked soundtrack song"No One Mourns the Wicked," her presence feels drastically different from all the munchkins.
As the rest ofWickedplays out, though, it’s revealed that Glinda’s past with Elphaba is not as cut and dry as some of the citizens of Oz once thought. In fact, Glinda and Elphaba were enemies turned close friends atShiz University. This friendship continued to blossom until Elphaba turned her back on the Wizard and Oz while Glinda stayed behind. From there,Glinda becomes an even bigger public figure, but this is all a front, and “No One Mourns the Wicked” exemplifies this.
Glinda Is Really Singing About Herself In No One Mourns The Wicked
By The End Of Wicked, Glinda’s Life Is Lonely
While the munchkins celebrate the defeat,Elphaba’s supposed death is much more complicated for Glinda,whochanges her name from Galinda to Glinda. In fact, while the munchkins sing joyously about Elphaba’s demise, Glinda sings about her own tragic fate. In her eyes, she is the wicked one, and she is now alone.
“And goodness knows, the wicked’s lives are lonely. Goodness knows, the wicked dies alone. It just shows when you’re wicked, you’re left only on your own.”
By act two, Glinda has lost her best friend, Elphaba, and her fiancé, Fiyero. These two are the most genuine relationships in Glinda’s life, and by siding with The Wizard of Oz, a terrible man and master manipulator, she’s lost both of them. On top of that, the Wizard left theLand of Oz, so Glinda is expected to be the one to take his place, despite her lacking the talent Elphaba has. To get to this point,Glinda has lied and will likely need to keep up those lies. Those lies include ones about Elphaba.
ByThe Wizard of Oz’sending and beginning ofWicked, Glinda seems to be triumphant to many of the citizens. However, in her own eyes, she is the wicked one. She has betrayed her loved ones. She has let horrible things slide. She has done everything toearn her good witch title, but that’s left her utterly alone in the end.
Glinda’s POV Explains Her Tone In No One Mourns The Wicked
Oz Does Not Know The Truth About Elphaba, But Glinda Does
“No One Mourns the Wicked” takes place shortly afterThe Wizard of Oz’sending. By then,years have gone by since Elphaba and Glinda were friends at Shiz. In the public eye, they are enemies, with Glinda working alongside The Wizard of Oz, the man who turned Elphaba into public enemy number one with Madame Morrible’s help.
Wicked Makes One Song Better Than The Broadway Musical Thanks To A Big Change
One of Wicked’s more effective changes in adapting the Broadway musical for the big screen adds a secondary purpose to one important song.
While it’sGlinda’s final decisionto stay behind, she still knows the truth about Elphaba. She knows Elphaba’s fight is noble, and she knows she is contributing to a system that is hurting her closest friend, Elphaba, as well as others. She may come off as ignorant at first, butGlinda is very well aware of how the public sees her, and she is aware of the lies being spread about Elphaba.
Now, Glinda is facing the consequences of this, which includes all those celebrating the death of her best friend, who only wanted to help Oz and its citizens — animals and humans alike.
She knows the truth but still sides with the Wizard. Now, Glinda is facing the consequences of this, which includes all those celebrating the death of her best friend, who only wanted to help Oz and its citizens — animals and humans alike. Because of this,when she sings “No One Mouns the Wicked” inWickedthere is no genuine joy in Glinda’s voice. She is torn up over this, regretful, but she still needs to keep face. After all, she’s set up to replace the Wizard, and Oz will likely not be able to handle the truth about Elphaba.
Wicked
Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
