The Audience with the Great Head

The Audience with the Great Head is the pivotal moment when Dorothy, having journeyed across Oz to the Emerald City, finally confronts the ruler she believes can send her home—only to be confronted with a terrifying apparition and an ultimatum that redirects the entire quest.

The Throne Room and the Apparition

Dorothy entered the Throne Room alone, as the green maiden had instructed, and found herself in a round chamber with a high arched roof whose walls, ceiling, and floor were covered with closely set emeralds. A great light, as bright as the sun, blazed from the center of the roof and made the gems sparkle in a wonderful manner. In the middle of the room stood a big throne of green marble, shaped like a chair and glittering with gems. In the center of the chair was an enormous Head, without a body to support it or any arms or legs whatever. The Head had no hair, but it had eyes, a nose, and a mouth, and was much bigger than the head of the biggest giant. As Dorothy gazed in wonder and fear, the eyes turned slowly and looked at her sharply and steadily. Then the mouth moved, and a voice said, "I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Who are you, and why do you seek me?"

Dorothy's Plea and Oz's Interrogation

The voice was not as awful as Dorothy had expected from the big Head, so she took courage and answered, "I am Dorothy, the Small and Meek. I have come to you for help." The eyes looked at her thoughtfully for a full minute. Then the voice asked where she had gotten the silver shoes. Dorothy replied that she had gotten them from the Wicked Witch of the East when her house fell on her and killed her. The voice then asked where she had gotten the mark upon her forehead. Dorothy explained that it was where the Good Witch of the North had kissed her when she bade her good-bye and sent her to Oz. The eyes looked at her sharply again, and they saw she was telling the truth. Oz then asked what she wished him to do. Dorothy answered earnestly, "Send me back to Kansas, where my Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are. I don't like your country, although it is so beautiful. And I am sure Aunt Em will be dreadfully worried over my being away so long." The eyes winked three times, turned up to the ceiling and down to the floor, and rolled around so queerly that they seemed to see every part of the room. At last they looked at Dorothy again.

The Impossible Task

Oz asked why he should do this for her. Dorothy replied, "Because you are strong and I am weak; because you are a Great Wizard and I am only a little girl." Oz countered that she was strong enough to kill the Wicked Witch of the East. Dorothy returned simply, "That just happened; I could not help it." The Head then gave its answer: "You have no right to expect me to send you back to Kansas unless you do something for me in return. In this country everyone must pay for everything he gets. If you wish me to use my magic power to send you home again you must do something for me first. Help me and I will help you." When Dorothy asked what she must do, Oz answered, "Kill the Wicked Witch of the West." Dorothy exclaimed that she could not. Oz insisted, "You killed the Witch of the East and you wear the silver shoes, which bear a powerful charm. There is now but one Wicked Witch left in all this land, and when you can tell me she is dead I will send you back to Kansas—but not before."

Dorothy's Despair and the Aftermath

The little girl began to weep, she was so disappointed. The eyes winked again and looked upon her anxiously, as if the Great Oz felt that she could help him if she would. Dorothy sobbed, "I never killed anything, willingly. Even if I wanted to, how could I kill the Wicked Witch? If you, who are Great and Terrible, cannot kill her yourself, how do you expect me to do it?" The Head replied, "I do not know; but that is my answer, and until the Wicked Witch dies you will not see your uncle and aunt again. Remember that the Witch is Wicked—tremendously Wicked—and ought to be killed. Now go, and do not ask to see me again until you have done your task." Sorrowfully, Dorothy left the Throne Room and went back to where the Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman were waiting. She told them, "There is no hope for me, for Oz will not send me home until I have killed the Wicked Witch of the West; and that I can never do." Her friends were sorry but could do nothing to help her, so Dorothy went to her own room, lay down on the bed, and cried herself to sleep. The audience thus transformed Dorothy's quest from a simple plea for transportation into a dangerous mission that would define the rest of her journey through Oz.