open/close all folders
Books
Elphaba and Glinda
Elphaba and Glinda have a considerable amount of Homoerotic Subtext in the books. Word of God has said "something" was going on between them in a romantic sense, but he never clarified on it after that until the very end- This is subtle but definitely intentional in the original novel; by the end, Maguire's done all but come out and say that Glinda's been in love with Elphie ever since their schooldays. Whether Elphie ever felt anything reciprocal is extremely open for debate, since none of their scenes together are from her POV. It's possibly one sided from Glinda's side as Elphaba spends the last fourth of the novel pining over the death of Fiyero and explicitly tells Nanny that she sees Glinda as a traitor and mentions that she preferred Ama Clutch's character over Glinda's simpering attitude. The only mention of "love" from Elphaba's side is Nanny mentioning that Elphaba was once devoted to her friendship with Glinda.
- Glinda never had a romance with Fiyero in the book, although she does mention that she was fond of him, and it's explicitly stated she married her husband for money and that she never had sex with him. When you put this together with her relationship with Elphaba, it seems that she's supposed to be gay.
- They have that incredibly emotional goodbye at the train station where they actually DO kiss - twice! - and where Elphaba's parting words to Glinda are "Hold out my sweet... Hold out if you can." Their parting could almost pass as a Now or Never Kiss, although people are known to platonically kiss each other goodbye when they know that they are not going to see them again. It's also noted that Elphaba doesn't cry over their parting like Glinda does.
- "You'll be all right," Elphaba said, "now you're a seasoned traveler. This is just the return leg of a voyage you already know." She put her face against Glinda's and kissed her. "Hold out, if you can," she murmured, and kissed her again. "Hold out, my sweet."
The driver clucked the reins, and pitched a cry to leave. Glinda craned her head to see Elphaba drift back into the crowds. For all her singularity of complexion, it was astounding how quickly she became camouflaged in the ragamuffin variety of street life in the Emerald City. Or maybe it was foolish tears blurring Glinda's vision. Elphaba hadn't cried, of course. Her head had turned away quickly as she stepped down, not to hide her tears but to soften the fact of their absence. But the sting, to Glinda, was real.
- The subtext extends to the sequel book, where Glinda still seems very upset over Elphaba's death. When Liir, Elphaba's son, brings her Elphaba's cape she refers to her as "My Elphie".
- Galinda supposedly hated Elphaba upon meeting her, but there seems to be an attraction even that early into their relationship. She thinks Elphaba is ugly but finds her hair beautiful enough that she lapses into Purple Prose. When Galinda coaxes Elphaba into wearing a cutesy, hyper-feminine hat, she expected Elphaba to look ridiculous but finds the opposite applies instead. Her "Oh, Miss Elphaba, you terrible mean thing, you're pretty" is said with sincerity. In that same conversation, she notes that there's an exotic beauty to Elphaba.
- Note the part where Galinda catches her breath as she realises how beautiful Elphaba is. She also dwells on how nervous Elphie makes her feel, and remembers sharing a bed with her. It should be noted that the only thing Glinda could remember about the Emerald City trip was that they shared a bed.
- The understated sequence where Glinda literally swoons into Elphaba's arms and Glinda thinks that Elphaba being so close makes her want to purr (seriously). At which point Elphaba tells her to resist followed by "Not here," and "I love you too much." Is that even subtext anymore, or have we hit text?
- In the epilogue of the first book, Glinda literally feels Elphaba's death (despite not knowing exactly why she is suddenly so upset).
- Years after Elphaba's death in Out of Oz, Glinda has a dream about being back in Shiz. Her fantasy is of racing Elphaba to a fountain. It's noted that Elphaba is "glowing emerald" and that Glinda "was almost absent to herself, caught up in admiring her friend". Glinda finds that seeing Elphaba, even in dreams, is both a reward and a pain,
Rain & Tip
- Rain has some when it's revealed that her semi-romantic interest Tip is actually Ozma Tippetarius.
Musical
Elphaba & Glinda
- "What Is This Feeling?" was intentionally written with Silly Love Songs in mind. The first part of the song suggests Love at First Sight before subverting and revealing that the actual emotion is loathing.
- "Popular": "Why, Miss Elphaba! Look at you! You're beautiful!" Depending on Glinda's actress, that line can read either as as aesthetic admiration or as desire.
- "For Good" is all about both Elphaba and Glinda singing about how happy they are to have met each other and how much they've both changed for the better because of each other.
- "Defying Gravity" starts with an argument between the two, but ends with Elphaba asking Glinda to come with her as she leaves, with all the hallmarks of asking a lover to run away with her. Glinda turns her down, but still wishes her all the best, and Elphaba leaves by telling her how to find her if she ever changes her mind.
- On default, the parting between Elphaba and Glinda from the book ends with a hug, not a kiss, however some actresses have improvised the kiss back in. This kind of feat is given the Fan Nickname "Gelphie".
