Tenmeadows

Tenmeadows is the hereditary estate of the Margreave of Tenmeadows, a title held by Avaric, a Gillikinese aristocrat who studied alongside Elphaba, Glinda, and Boq at Shiz University. The estate represents the apex of inherited wealth and social standing in Oz, a position that grants Avaric a casual, unearned authority and a freedom from consequence that sharply contrasts with the struggles of his less privileged peers. It is from this seat of power that Avaric's identity as a cynical, entitled, and ultimately detached observer of the political and personal dramas of his generation is forged.

Identity and Social Standing

Tenmeadows is the source of Avaric's identity as the "Margreave Descending from Tenmeadows, Gillikin," a title he wields with the confidence of one born to privilege. When Elphaba, Boq, and Avaric travel to Lake Chorge, Elphaba introduces him to the other girls with this full, formal title, immediately establishing his superior rank. Boq, a Munchkinlander farmer's son, is acutely aware of the social gulf between them, noting that Avaric is "spotless by virtue of his station" and that even the formidable Madame Morrible would "quail before a margreave's son." The estate is not merely a home but a source of symbolic capital that allows Avaric to move through the world with an insouciance that Boq, who must work in a library to fund his studies, can never afford.

Avaric's Character and Actions

Avaric's behavior is consistently that of a man who has never had to face real hardship. He is described as "opinionated, cynical, corrupt, and as good-looking as ever," a man who mocks Boq for his earnestness and who treats the serious political issues of the day as mere entertainment. He is the one who proposes a visit to the Philosophy Club, a decadent establishment, and who later, after the death of Ama Clutch, plunks down "an embarrassment of coins to demand a salver of saffron cream" in her memory, turning grief into a display of wealth. His casual cruelty is evident when he comments on Fiyero's dark skin, calling it "the color of shit," a remark that reveals the deep-seated prejudices of his class. Even in middle age, when Elphaba visits him at his town house in Shiz, he remains the same: handsome, wealthy, and detached, hosting a dinner party where the guests debate the nature of evil as an abstract intellectual exercise, while Elphaba, who has just committed murder, sits among them.

Narrative Significance

Tenmeadows, as the embodiment of Avaric's privilege, serves as a foil to the lives of the other main characters. It represents the unearned power and moral complacency of the Gillikinese aristocracy, a class that benefits from the Wizard's regime without being touched by its cruelties. While Elphaba dedicates her life to fighting oppression and Boq struggles to make a living from his farm, Avaric remains insulated, his primary concerns being pleasure and social status. His estate is a reminder that the system Elphaba fights against is not just maintained by the Wizard and Madame Morrible, but also by the casual indifference of the wealthy and powerful who, like Avaric, can afford to treat the world's horrors as a topic for dinner conversation.