Wizard of Oz - Part I (Plot and Cast)
THE PLOT
The story begins with Dorothy in Kansas. She lives on a farm with Auntie Em and Uncle Henry, and three farm-hands that all play criti-cal roles in the wonderful world of Oz. Dorothy is traumatized by the wicked Miss Gulch who takes away her pet dog, Toto. As Dorothy and Toto escape they come across the mysterious Professor Marvel in his wagon, who tricks them to go home. But as they rush home, a tornado traps them in the house. Knocked unconscious, Dorothy awakes to the house being picked up by the twister and is sent spinning through the air. Miss Gulch is seen pedaling her bicycle in mid-air before she transforms into a witch on a broomstick, and the house comes to rest in the Land of Oz.
Dorothy is met by Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, and the Munchkins, who celebrate that the house landed on the Wicked Witch of the East. The Wicked Witch of the West then arrives to claim her sister’s ruby red slippers, but Glinda magically places them on Dorothy’s feet. The Wicked Witch vows revenge, and Glinda suggests that Dorothy follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City where the Wizard of Oz may be able to help her get back to Kansas.
Along the yellow brick road, Dorothy meets the Scarecrow, who laments “if I only had a brain”; the Tinman that romanticizes “if I only had a heart”; and the Cowardly Lion who “lacks courage”. Dorothy suggests they all go with her to ask the Wizard for help. With the aid of Glinda along the way, they repel the Wicked Witch of the West, and eventually reach the Emerald City. Inside the great hall of the Wizard, they see a terrifying apparition that identifies itself as “Oz”. The Wizard agrees to grant their wishes only if they first prove themselves worthy by bringing him the broom-stick of the Wicked Witch of the West.
As they pass through a haunted forest on their way to the witch’s castle, the witch sends an army of winged monkeys, who capture Dorothy and Toto. In her castle, when the witch threatens to have Toto drowned, Dorothy offers the slippers in exchange for her dog, but the witch cannot remove them, and she remembers that the slippers will not come off as long as Dorothy is alive. As the witch ponders the proper way to kill Dorothy, Toto escapes. The dog leads Dorothy’s friends to the castle, where they res-cue her, but the witch’s guards soon surround them. After the witch sadistically says that Dorothy will see her friends and dog die before her, she ignites the Scarecrow’s arm. Dorothy tosses a bucket of water to put out the fire, and when some water splashes in the witch’s face, she melts. The guards and monkeys, relieved that the witch is dead, hail Dorothy and give her the broomstick.
Upon their return to Oz, the Wizard orders Dorothy and her friends to come back the next day. As they argue, Toto snoops behind a cur-tain and pulls it back to reveal a man manipulating levers and speaking into a microphone, who then admits to the group that he is really the “powerful” Wizard. Greatly disappointed and angry at the sham, Dorothy calls him a bad man, but he retorts that while he is a bad wizard, he is a good man. He then awards the Scarecrow a diploma, the Lion a medal and the Tin Man a testimonial, and states that where he comes from, these things are given to men who have no more brains, courage or heart than they have. Con-fessing that he is a balloonist and a Kansas man himself, the Wizard offers to take Dorothy back in his balloon.
However, as they prepare to leave, Toto leaps from the balloon to chase a cat, and after Doro-thy goes to retrieve the dog, the balloon takes off without them. Glinda then comforts Dorothy and reveals that she has always had the power to return home, but that she had to learn it for herself. Dorothy says that she has learned never to go further than her own backyard to look for her heart’s desire. After Dorothy tearfully kisses and hugs her friends, Glinda tells her to click the heels of the slippers three times with her eyes closed and to think to herself, “There’s no place like home.” This she does, and she awakens to find Uncle Henry and Auntie Em at her bedside. Professor Marvel, having heard that Dorothy was badly injured, comes by, and she begins to tell about her journey, which Auntie Em calls a bad dream. The farm-hands come in, and Dorothy remembers them as her three friends in Oz and the professor as the Wizard. When Toto climbs on the bed, Dorothy says she loves them all and that she will never leave again, and she affirms to her aunt that:
“There’s no place like Home”
THE CAST
In Egyptian metaphor, there are five main aspects to de-scribe the human being – Osiris (the father/Higher Self), Isis (the great mother/Holy Spirit), Horus (the hero/soul/son), Seth (the antagonist/ego), and Nephthys (the body). There are also three important attributes used to de-scribe God (Ra/First Light/Sun) - Thoth (law/wisdom), Hathor (love), and Maat (order). The Wizard of Oz mirrors the metaphor in its characterizations as shown:
Dorothy: The hero in our story. The word “hero” actually derives from the Egyptan name of Horus - namely “Heru”. The name “Dorothy” also comes from the Greek meaning “gift of God”
Egyptian Character: Horus
Witch: The wicked witch of the West. The west corresponds with the setting of the sun, and the rule of Seth by night. Clearly, the witch is the antagonist in the story
Egyptian Character: Seth
Scarecrow: Scarecrow is made of yellow straw and is afraid of fire (the color and element of the 3rd chakra). He is found at the choice point in the road, and wishes “if I only had a brain”
Egyptian Metaphor: Mental Body
Tinman: is afraid of water (the element of the 2nd chakra), sings of “emotion, jealousy and devotion”, and wishes for a heart (4th chakra) as love and reason are the only way to overcome emotion
Egyptian Metaphor: Emotional Body
Lion: King of the jungle (the physical world), symbol of Leo and the 1st chakra, lacking courage
Egyptian Metaphor: Physical Body
Wizard: a charlatan concerned only with his egoic self (Seth); refers to him-self as a dog; placed at the gate-way (the Emerald City - level 4/the heart) where reason and right thinking enable Dorothy to overcome and go home
Egyptian Metaphor: Seth, Intellectual Body (lower 4th)
Glinda: descends from a Star (indicative of Spirit or Higher Self). She is the active force behind Dorothy, leading her ultimately to the realization that the ability to go home is within her
Egyptian Character: Isis
Toto: a dog and Dorothy’s companion. Anubis accompanies Horus through the world, accompanying him/her back on the path to Self Realization. Symbolized as a jackal. Egyptian Character: Anubis
