History Characters / IntoTheWoods

* AntiVillain: Most of the deaths she causes are accidents, and if she were human, Jack would have been thrown into a dungeon for the things he did to her and her husband.

%%* KnightOfCerebus

* ClassicalAntiHero: Insecure despite wanting to lift the curse himself.

* DeathBySex: [[spoiler: She's offed shortly after her affair with Cinderella's prince.]]

* TookALevelInBadass

* [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Everyone Calls Her Barkeep]]: Though apparently her CanonName on the film's set was Margery.

* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: See ThePratfall, above.

* [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething Royals Who Actually Try To Do Something]]: He never actually ''finds'' the Giant, but besides Cinderella herself, he's the only member of the royal family to actually get off his ass and go looking for her.

* [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Why Did It Have To Be Dwarves?]]: He's evidently terrified of [[InsistentTerminology dwarfs]]. Unfortunately for him, [[spoiler: they're the only thing standing between him and his next fling, Snow White]].

-->'''Played by:''' Edmund Lyndeck (OBC), John Rogan (Original London Cast). Role omitted from the film.

* VengefulWidow: Is (reasonably) furious with Jack for mugging then murdering her husband.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: She explained her reasons when she was introduced. She had every right to be upset with Jack.

* KnifeNut: Given to her by her grandmother for protection. She's not afraid to brandish it on a stranger for the smallest slight.

* FriendToAllChildren: '''Very''' downplayed, as she has no problem sacrificing young Jack to the Giantess, and finds Red Riding Hood to be an obnoxious brat; the2002 revival version adds this element to "Last Midnight", as it becomes a haunting lullaby she sings to the Baker's Son as she contemplates stealing him away - like she did to Rapunzel - to prevent him from losing his innocence. She decides against it, as she has finally learned no one can stay completely pure forever. Likewise, in "Children Will Listen", she is the one to warn parents and adults that children are always watching and absorbing what is around them - so be sure to teach them well.

* VillainHasAPoint: She calls out all of the "good" characters for their actions in pursuit of their dreams. Likewise, the Baker implicitly agrees that she had every reason to be mad at her father (even if her curse was DisproportionateRetribution), and he delivers on their bargain.

* AmbiguouslyHuman: The mysterious man repeatedly pops up out of nowhere throughout the play, giving strange advice to the protagonists before disappearing without a trace. He is later revealed to be the Baker's father and dies soon after the curse is lifted, but his presence in Act II implies he may be something else entirely. Indeed, several of the characters refer to him as some type of spirit, and it's possible he may have been DeadAllAlong, assuming he really is the Baker's father.

* LikeFatherLikeSon: Towards the end of "No More", [[spoiler:he and the Baker both say this. This naturally convinces the Baker not to run away and help stop the Giantess.]]

* PositiveDiscrimination: Inverted. She's the one whose more comfortable doing morally questionable things, compared to her husband.

* ParentalAbandonment / ParentalObliviousness: This part can be played either way; either way, whatever the reason, he's not a very good father nowadays.

* BreakTheCutie: Act Two has him break down when he finds out [[spoiler:his mother died trying to defend him from the giant. As he says he'll kill the Steward, the Baker convinces him it's not worth it because the Steward is too far to find, and they have a giant to kill. Even though the Baker comforts him, he sounds more sober at the end when realizing he has no home, or family (apart from Milky-White if she survived)]].
* CharacterDevelopment: At the end, he admits that he was at fault for bringing the giantess's wrath on the land after [[spoiler:the witch commits suicide by tossing beans]]. He also provides suggestions for the plan to defeat her, and is completely focused.

* DueToTheDead: The witch caught him because [[spoiler:he had found the Baker's wife, dead, and buried her in a giantess's footprint]].
* EveryoneHasStandards: He [[spoiler:was crying when he found the body belonging to the Baker's wife, and stopped in his quest to kill the giant to bury her. This led to the witch catching him]].

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: [[spoiler:He never gets any punishment for stealing from the giants and killing both of them, at first. Then in Act Two, their house collapses from a seeming earthquake, the giantess wants his head and his mother dies defending him. Jack is visibly terrified of the witch as she grabs him and drags him to his death. Later, he breaks down on learning about his mother's death, going MyGodWhatHaveIDone when realizing he won't ever get revenge on the Steward. He even gets to live with the Baker's new family, but with some CharacterDevelopment to think before he acts before it hurts the one he loves.]]

* AbusiveParent: Sorta in the film adaptation. She seemed to get angry very easily with Jack and even hits him a few times. However, she still cares for her son and wants the two of them to survive with enough money and food. She even keeps her MamaBear moment when she tells the Giantess that she will protect her son. (See AdaptationalJerkass above)
* AngerBornOfWorry: She acts rather harsh to Jack and makes it known that she thinks he's a fool, but she worries that his carelessness will get him into danger. After the giant falls into their backyard, she tracks down her son in the woods to make sure he's okay, and give him a DopeSlap.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: She wishes to better her and Jack's lives. Jack slays the Giant and steals their treasures, making him and his mother wealthy -- but spurs the Giantess's anger.

* JerkassHasAPoint: [[spoiler: She's inconsiderate to Giantess' feelings, but she correct points out that the Giantess has killed a ''lot'' of people in her rampage against Jack and people have good reason to be pissed with her.]]

* MyBelovedSmother: She's always trying to control Jack's actions. Justified, though, as Jack can cause catastrophic damage if left alone.

* TapOnTheHead: Deconstructed. [[spoiler:Her death--needless to say, a blow to the head hard enough to shut someone up is not going to end well...]]
* ViolinScam: She orders Jack to carry Milky for a very long distance out of their village and find a sucker who's gullible enough to buy the cow for 5 pounds or more since their whole village knows how sick the cow has gotten. Though this comes off as InsaneTrollLogic since whoever has that much money will inspect the cow first, and as she pointed out, the cow is clearly and visibly expiring being infested with parasites and open wounds. [[spoiler: The scam was doomed to fail since the cow died one day after the Baker bought it for beans]].

* GirlWithPsychoWeapon: She's supposed to be young and cute...until she pulls a knife on you.

* HeroicComedicSociopath: Seemingly has very little regard for everybody else at first. This is played for humor. Part of her storyline is learning morality.
* IHaveAFamily: She brings up her grandmother as an excuse to take away the baked goodies from the married couple (the Baker keeps objecting, his wife enables her) but then Red keeps eating them herself to which the baker comments she might not save any for grandma.

* LittleRedFightingHood: She does get eaten by the wolf, and needs to be rescued. After that, though? For starters, she made her new cloak herself -- from the wolf's pelt. After this, she is a SociopathicHero. The work goes in a different direction than the norm though as part of the CharacterDevelopment involves her learning morality.
* PrettyInMink: She swaps her traditional red cape for a fur one made from the skins of the wolf.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Emphasizing the allegory of the original fairy tale, his VillainSong "Hello Little Girl" has various connotations of the Wolf being a ''sexual'' predator, Red Riding Hood being his chosen victim. The film runs with this angle by portraying him as a [[LittleBitBeastly wolf-like]], vaguely human man, having him try to tempt her with a [[CoatFullOfContraband coat full of candy]] like a [[PaedoHunt pedophile]]. The fact that some versions of the character have a visible penis and he refers to Red Riding Hood as "little girl" certainly doesn't help.

* AdaptationalBadass: Well the character she's based on, the Witch from ''Rapunzel'' didn't seem to have any magic at all. Certainly not the power to teleport anywhere or resurrect dead cows.

* AntiVillain: She cursed the Baker's family, she was overprotective of her daughter, she wanted to sacrifice Jack [[spoiler:to make the Giantess go away,]] AND she started throwing beans during ''The Last Midnight'' to summon more giants, but she was NOT the villain of the play.

* CastingGag: A 2012 production features Donna Murphy, who previously voiced Rapunzel's stepmother in Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'', as the witch.

* FriendToAllChildren: '''Very''' downplayed, as she has no problem sacrificing young Jack to the Giant's wife, and finds Red Riding Hood to be an obnoxious brat, but in the 2002 revival version adds this element to "Last Midnight" as it becomes a haunting lullaby she sings to the Baker's Son as she contemplates stealing him away like she did to Rapunzel, to prevent him from losing his innocence. She decides against it, as she has finally learned no one can stay completely pure forever. Likewise in "Children Will Listen" she is the one to warn parents and adults that children are always watching and absorbing what is around them, so be sure to teach them well.

* HotWitch: Used to be agelessly beautiful and is looking to break the curse to reclaim it. [[spoiler: She does but loses her powers, effectively negating the 'witch' part of the trope]].

* JerkassHasAPoint: While she isn't the nicest person out there she does have a point that if they ''don't'' [[spoiler: give Jack to the Giant she'll level half the kingdom]]. It's not a nice thing to do but the only option they have in that moment. Even the Baker briefly agrees in a moment of HeroicBSOD.

* PetTheDog: In Act 1, she returns Milky-White to Jack when the spell is complete, no strings attached. In some versions of Act Two, such as the 2002 revival, she briefly considers [[spoiler:taking the Baker's son to raise as her own, but can't do it. She remembers all too well the pain that comes from raising a child, and TheChainOfHarm it can cause. The witch gives the baby a sincere kiss and returns him to his father unharmed before committing "suicide"]].

* StrawmanHasAPoint: DeconstructedTrope and In-Universe Example during ''The Last Midnight''. She brings up the valid point about Jack being responsible for the Giant's Wife rampaging throughout the kingdom, and that the best solution at the moment is to bring him to her. [[DesignatedHero The others]] are against this, knowing that she'll kill him even though more people will die if the Giant doesn't get Jack fast. The fact that they are against her simply because she's [[DesignatedVillain the Witch, and therefore, not to be trusted]] drives her up the wall. She turns it against them, saying that by refusing to give Jack to the Giant at the expense doesn't make them good, "just nice" and that while she may not be [[GoodIsNotNice good]] or nice, [[JerkassHasAPoint she's just right.]] It delves into TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, calling them no better than her and that the Baker's son will end up becoming just like them, a liar and thief, but at this point, she is so frustrated she just says "Why bother?! You'll just do what you do..." and [[spoiler: throws away the last of her beans in an effort to get away from them. When she vanishes, everyone realizes that she was right and that their actions were not great in hindsight. This becomes reconstructed, with the Baker and Cinderella admitting that "Witches can be right", but that didn't mean that her option was the only solution in the end, with the others deciding the rampage would end if [[TakeAThirdOption they killed the Giant first.]]]]

* VainSorceress: {{Deconstructed}} with the Witch. [[spoiler:She trades her powers in to get back her (rightfully) good looks, only to massively regret it later]]. She's not so much AxCrazy over being ugly as she is weary of being [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer treated like a freak]].

* VillainHasAPoint: She calls out all of the "good" characters for their actions in pursuit of their dreams. Likewise, the Baker implicitly agrees that she had every reason to be mad at her father, even if her curse was DisproportionateRetribution and he delivers on their bargain.
-->'''Witch''': Told a little lie, stole a little gold, broke a little vow, ''Did You!''\\
Had to get your Prince, had to get your cow, had to get your wish, doesn't matter how, anyway it doesn't matter now...\\

You're so nice, you're not good, you're not bad, you're just nice.\\
I'm not good, I'm not nice, I'm just right, I'm the witch! You're the world.\\
I'm the hitch, I'm what no one believes, I'm the Witch!\\
You're all liars and thieves like his father,\\
like his son will be too. Oh why Bother! You'll just do what you do!
* VillainProtagonist: One of the leading roles who just so happens to be a rather heinous woman.

* WickedWitch: Played with. Although having the stereotypical look of a Wicked Witch, not to mention doing a couple of rather nasty things, she's still helping the protagonists to an extent.

* ActionGirl: She becomes this in Act 2. She TookALevelInBadass, with Cinderella venturing [[AccidentalPun into the woods]] on her own and dumping her "Prince Charming" (who actually turned out to be a douche), and is [[spoiler: one of the only four survivors at the end of the musical, and helps defeat the BigBad.]]
* ActionSurvivor: She is not particularly adept at fighting off all the craziness that comes her way in the musical. Nonetheless, she proves to be extremely resourceful, determined, and surprisingly courageous. And along with three other characters, she successfully manages to overcome and defeat the BigBad in the end, after [[spoiler: everyone else dies]].
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Her recurring theme of "I wish" kick-starts both acts. The first one, she just wanted to go to the festival. In the second one, she suggests hosting one as the Princess because it's time for one. At the least, her second wish never gets a chance to come to fruition

* ButtMonkey: She's the toilet paper of her family. Very near literally, since she's always covered in dust, dirt and possibly food stains from her cooking and cleaning duties.

* CuteClumsyGirl: While wearing the gold slippers--they're terrible to walk in. Lampshaded by the Baker's Wife:

* TheDitherer: Highlighted in "On the Steps of the Palace," when she can't decide whether to let the Prince catch her or to run away back home. She decides not to decide by leaving a shoe on the stair smeared with pitch.

* LovingAShadow: [[spoiler: She admits that she will always love "the prince at the ball."]]

* NiceGirl: She's kind, friendly, and tries her best to remain hopeful and goodhearted in spite of her stepfamily's abuse. Part of her character development is learning that this doesn't mean she has to be a walkover.

* SwissArmyTears: Cinderella's tears that she wept for her late mother is what helped grow the tree that allowed her to meet her mother's ghost or reincarnation as an angel.
* TakeAThirdOption: Her choice is to flee from the prince a third time or stay and be caught. Her decision is "not to decide" and run away, but leave her shoe behind as a way for him to find her.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Had she not thrown away the bean that the Baker's Wife traded her for her slipper, the Giantess would have had no way to climb down and wreak havoc. Of course, all the main characters are to blame in one way or another.

Protagonist of ''Literature/{{Rapunzel}}''. The Witch's ward, a beautiful but unstable maiden whom the Witch locked in a tower for her entire life.

* AbledInTheAdaptation: She doesn't suffer a nervous breakdown in the film, owing to finding her prince sooner. He's also more patient with her trauma and suggests they leave when Act Two starts to go to hell.

* BeautifulSingingVoice: Her lovely yet haunting voice carries through the woods and is the only thing that can calm the Witch in the midst of her tantrums, and charms the Prince, before he basks in her beauty.
* BreakTheCutie: While not the Witch's intent, her treatment of Rapunzel eventually caused her to be subject to hysterics.

* DumbBlonde: Rapunzel shows elements of this in act one.
* GirlInTheTower: Of course. Deconstructed as well, as all that isolation contributed greatly to her instability.

* TheOphelia: She's lovely, but unstable thanks to her time in the tower and the Witch's treatment of her.

* RichInDollarsPoorInSense: Even after becoming a princess, she still doesn't have the best grip on life. She ''was'' kept in a tower her whole life.

* SparedByTheAdaptation: In the 2014 film. She is not DrivenToSuicide and she gets to live happily ever after with her prince.

* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: [[spoiler: When the characters try to offer the Narrator to the Giantess as a sacrifice, the Narrator reminds them that the story would be lost if he was obliterated. Regardless of this, however, the Witch gives the Narrator to the Giantess anyway, and as soon as the Giantess sees that the Narrator isn't Jack, the Narrator is dropped from the Giantess's hand and killed. Possibly concerned with the subsequent events of the story without the Narrator, the Baker's Wife points out: "We might have thought of something else."]]

* TheRunaway: Several new productions turn the narrator into a young boy instead of a grown man with the addition of a new BookEnds story where he runs away to live in the woods after a fight with his father. [[spoiler: Said father is revealed to be played by the same actor as The Baker and is the one who told the boy the story in the first place.]]

* AmazonChaser: A subtle example. He spends the first Act intrigued about Cinderella because she's defiant and determined enough to keep running from him. In the second act, he doesn't give the Baker's wife a second thought until he hears she's interested in fighting the Giant and is even defying her husband's wishes to do so. Once he hears this he immediately switches from ignoring her to dialing up the charm. [[spoiler: And then it's subverted; the story makes it clear that he's not interested in determined women as a character trait; he simply finds them mysterious and exciting. Once he gets to be with them he loses interest immediately.]]

* DistractedByTheSexy: Off to bring down the Giant...and who's this lovely thing?

* LargeHam: Oh very VERY much so. Especially in "Agony" and the reprise.

* AdaptationalHeroism: He remains faithful to Rapunzel in the 2014 film. What's more, when Act Two starts to go to hell, he says they should leave. Thus, they both survive.

* EyeScream: He's blinded by falling into thorns after the witch pushes him from the tower. He gets better.

* WantingIsBetterThanHaving: Along with his brother, this is his main character flaw. After rescuing Rapunzel from her tower he quickly grows bored and strays toward Snow White. [[spoiler: In the 2014 film he manages to stay with his (still living) wife though, letting him grow out of this.]]

* AntiVillain: Most of the deaths she causes are accidents and if she were human, Jack would have been thrown into a dungeon for the things he did to her and her husband.

* TheLostLenore: In early previews, one of the reasons for his drunkenness and negligence towards Cinderella's abuse, is due to how much she reminds him of his beloved first wife, and his sorrow at losing her.
* ParentalAbandonment / ParentalObliviousness: This part can be played either way.

* AccidentalMurder: He's not actually trying to kill Jack's Mother, he just wants to shut her up and accidentally hits her head too hard.
* AdaptationalHeroism: In the 2014 film. ''Hero'' is a huge stretch, but he seemed genuinely regretful for what he did to Jack's mother. He also doesn't try to strike her head but just pushes her down and she just so happens to fall on it.
* DirtyCoward: If refusing to give up his life for others and justifying his killing of Jack's mother is of any indication.
* {{Hypocrite}}: He defends his killing of Jack's mother as being necessary for the greater good, but when the Witch suggests that it's in his line of duty to sacrifice ''his'' life, he immediately declares that he's not dying for anyone.
* {{Jerkass}}: Not only does he come across as rather rude and pompous, but he refuses to do his job when his life's on the line and refuses to take blame for his murder or Jack's Mother.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: He ''literally'' gets away with murder. Though in the musical it is implied that he and the royal family starve to death after getting lost in the forest, considering only his ghost appears at the end.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: While he refuses to take responsibility, he can still be played as actually feeling guilty about killing Jack's, with the original Broadway recording showing he struggles to get all the words out in his self defense.

* AdaptedOut: He's given very little screen time in the film adaptation. He only shows up when [[spoiler:the Baker is trying to run away and he briefly encourages him to turn around and help stop the Giantess. It's also implied that he's already dead and didn't die trying to help his son and daughter-in-law get their wish granted.]]
* AmbiguouslyHuman: The mysterious man repeatedly pops up out of nowhere throughout the play, giving strange advice to the protagonists before disappearing without a trace. He is later revealed to be the Baker's father and dies soon after the curse is lifted, but his presence in the second act implies he may be something else entirely. Indeed, several of the characters refer to him as some type of spirit, and it's possible he may have been DeadAllAlong, assuming he really is the Baker's father.

* DeadPersonConversation: [[spoiler:When the Baker attempts to run away in Act 2, the Man appears and talks him out of it.]]

* RapunzelHair: Of course. Her extremely long hair is actually part of the Witch's FetchQuest. She loses it later.

* {{Meganekko}}: In the original cast, but not universally. And only for the first song.

-->'''Played by:''' Barbara Byrne (OBC), Patsy Rowlands (Original London Cast), Creator/TraceyUllman (2014 film)

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The Witch is more than just a classic villain, especially considering her moment of anguish after [[spoiler:Rapunzel dies]], and the fact that she, of all people, is the one who sings the beautiful "Children Will Listen" at the end.

* AdaptationalHeroism: In the 2014 film. ''Hero'' is a huge stretch, but he seemed genuinely regretful for what he did to Jack's mother.

* VengefulWidow: Is (reasonably) furious with Jack for mugging then murdering her husband.

-->'''Played by:''' Pamela Winslow (OBC), Mary Lincoln (Original London Cast), [=MacKenzie=] Mauzy (2014 film)

* NotSoDifferent: When Little Red reveals her mother and grandmother are dead, Cinderella's expression changes as Red talks about how they would be disappointed in her. She knows what it's like to grow up without a mother, and tells Red that it's hard when you don't have a parent to guide you.

* CinderellaCircumstances: [[TropeNamer Naturally,]] she's put upon by her stepmother and stepsisters.

* CinderellaCircumstances: Obviously.

* RealityEnsues: [[spoiler:Her death--needless to say, a blow to the head hard enough to shut someone up is not going to end well...]]

''[[FamousLastWords CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!]]''

* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler: The powerful curse she brings down on herself by tossing away all her beans whisks her away, just as she had wanted, but [[DraggedOffToHell it's never]] [[DrivenToSuicide made clear]] [[NothingIsScarier to where.]]]]