Nessarose's axe spell

Nessarose's axe spell marks the moment when the newly installed Eminent Thropp, having consolidated political power in the secessionist Free State of Munchkinland, openly employs sorcery to enforce her will. The event demonstrates how Nessarose has evolved from a pious, armless young woman into a ruler who uses magic to dispense a cruel and arbitrary form of justice, blurring the line between righteous authority and tyranny.

Background and Context

During Elphaba's visit to Colwen Grounds, she witnesses her sister's daily routine of holding audiences with citizens. Nessarose, now the political head of the Free State of Munchkinland, has become a figure of authority who combines her religious devotion with the exercise of political power. She has also developed sorcerous abilities, amplified by the enchanted silver shoes that Glinda had empowered, which allow her to stand and move without support. Elphaba, who has been living in self-imposed exile in the Vinkus, observes these proceedings with growing unease, particularly when she sees how Nessarose treats the Animals who come before her.

The Spell Itself

An old woman from the Corn Basket district petitions Nessarose for help. The woman complains that her maid wants to leave her service to marry a woodcutter, which would ruin the old woman's harvest. When Elphaba interrupts to question the woman about the Sheep and Cow she has offered as payment, Nessarose takes control of the audience. The old woman produces the woodcutter's axe and asks Nessarose to bewitch it to kill the man. Nessarose demurs at murder but suggests a compromise: she will enchant the axe to slip and cut off the woodcutter's arm, reasoning from her own experience that a person without an arm is less desirable to the opposite sex. The old woman accepts this bargain, and Nessarose kneels before the axe, praying over it to work her spell. Elphaba, horrified, accuses her sister of becoming a witch, but Nessarose calmly replies that "the righteous person can work miracles in the honor of the Unnamed God."

Consequences and Aftermath

The immediate consequence is that the old woman receives her enchanted axe and agrees to release the Animals she had offered as payment. However, the deeper implications are more troubling. Elphaba, who has just freed the Sheep and Cow from their pen, confronts the Cow, who reveals the extent of Animal suffering under Nessarose's rule. The Cow describes being sold in exchange for a witch's spell, having her children slaughtered for veal, and being subjected to daily milking. The Cow also warns that Nessarose may be planning to use Animals in religious ceremonial processions, possibly leading to ritual slaughter. This encounter crystallizes Elphaba's disillusionment with her sister's regime and her own failure to intervene earlier. The spell also serves as a stark contrast to Elphaba's own moral struggles: while Elphaba has spent years trying to do no harm, Nessarose casually uses magic to maim a man for the sake of political expediency. The event foreshadows the broader tyranny that Nessarose will impose on Munchkinland, a rule that will end only with her death when a house falls on her during the tornado.