Original artwork, not a still
I'm melting! Melting! Oh, what a world! What a world! Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness?
— The Wizard of Oz · 1939
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The Witch's last words are half complaint and half compliment: she cannot believe something so small and so good undid her. The line is the most famous death in family cinema, and 'I'm melting' has become the all-purpose cry for heat waves, ice cream and any grand defeat. The popular wording is a splice, since the film has her call Dorothy a brat in an earlier breath.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Wizard of OzShow the scene
In the Wicked Witch's castle, the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion have freed Dorothy but are cornered by the Witch and her Winkie guards. She taunts them and sets the Scarecrow's arm on fire. Dorothy grabs a bucket of water and throws it over him, and some of it splashes the Witch. She shrieks, screams that Dorothy has cursed her, then these words as she melts away. The Winkies give Dorothy the Witch's broom. Margaret Hamilton played the Witch in the 1939 MGM film.
Sources (2)
- Wikipedia: The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)Plot sectionReference checked
- Wikiquote: The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)Wicked Witch of the West sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
