The Bakers Wife from Into The Woods

[Jwaa]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 1:42pm

what would you say about her character and the type of person she is from the show???

How does her character change or become manipulated??

The characters from ITW really interest me, there is so many angles and hidden emotions, that a leaked through short phrases and lyrics...

I would really appreciate your ideas!

Updated On: 5/19/19 at 01:42 PM

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 1:46pm

She is by far the most complex character in the show in my opinion.

I will post a little later on my thoughts on her...

[Pippin]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 2:02pm

being lower class, she is not that educated, though she does have street smarts. she is conniving, and will stop at nothing until she gets her child, as seen when she tricks jack out of his cow for the beans. she is logical, and manipulative(if the end is right, it justifies the beans), but she doesn't know when she is being manipulated, as seen where she is taken advantage of by the prince. She is wooed by him, and afterward, is confused. (what was that? was that me? was that him?....did I kiss him back? was that wrong? and so on.

I think she finds peace with her decision in "moments in the woods" (but if life were made of moments, then you'd never know you had one.) she loves her husband deeply, but is frustrated with him, but comes to the realization that she would rather be poor with her baker, than be a mistress to a prince (...makes the "or" mean more than it did before. Now I understand, and it's time to leave the woods.)

It would have been interesting to see where she would have gone after the affair, but alas, we'll never know.

[Jwaa]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 2:06pm

I agree thus my certain interest...

*possible spoilers to those who dont know into the woods...but id be suprised if your on here!!*

does she want the baby? or is it a way to solidify her marriage?

she doesnt regret sleeping with the prince and simple was content calling it just a 'moment in the wood'....but as she goes to leave the wood she dies...why is that....has she not learnt a valuable lesson through the woods...i just really would like your opinions???

it all means something...i just would like to see your perspective!

Updated On: 5/19/19 at 02:06 PM

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 2:41pm

I always have seen it that the life she really wanted to live is in the woods, and she dies because she was going to end up leaving, and now she is buried in a giant's footprint, in the woods, where she will remain forever.

[Jwaa]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 3:08pm

I agree and is their certain meaning to the fact that she died in a giants footstep??

by dying did the bakers wife learn a lesson that the giant was trying to teach?

x

[Calvin]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 3:14pm

I once read an interpretation -- someone close to the show; I don't remember who, but it might even have been in a CD jacket somewhere -- saying about her death: "She is an evil character, and that is why she had to die." I found it rather jarring, because I never thought of her evil as such. But her philosophy throughout is basically that it doesn't matter what she does as long as the result is for good (or, her definition of good). Which is a pretty dangerous philosophy, if it's adopted by someone in power. Thanks heavens we in the United States are not under the control of someone like...uh, never mind.

[children&art]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 3:27pm

she's a very modern character in this fairytale world. her motives are selfish and she accomplishes this at any expense. she's a woman of today in a world of long ago.

[Jwaa]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 4:13pm

yeah i completely agree

and lol to calvin...i do also agree that when given enough power that type of person can be easily seen as evil!

[Matters]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 4:58pm

I think a driving force behind the Baker's Wife is her discontent with her lifestyle. It seems that she only wants whats best for herself no matter who gets hurt in the process, as seen when tricking Jack into selling his cow for beans. She seems to think she deserves to live the high life of royalty, therefore it prompts a strong interst in life at the castle ('a very nice prince'). All in all, she does not like to be poor and often tries to make things better ('why rebuild when we can simply move?') and its not until she realizes the glamour involved in royality is largely superficial that she becomes happy with her family and lifestyle, however this newfound appreciation is soon crushed. Pun intended.

[Elphabuff2]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 5:32pm

Very odd that you post this, Jwaa. Strange to me, actually. I was just revisiting the OBC recording and the baker's wife (is it capitalized or what?) further intrigued me. I really can't see her as evil. She's definitely out for the baby, but I don't think that she would do anything she needed to do in order to get just anything. I mean, a baby's a big thing, and if there's no other way, I can see her determination in collecting the items with her husband. Also, she is very tender in her interaction w/ Little Red. She's also protective of Jack (Act II), even though she tricked him in Act IThesbijean is correct, I think, in naming her the most complex character in the show. I cannot really figure her out. She is sly and cunning, but she is also warm and caring. I agree with everything Matters says. The one thing that I was focused on recently is her death. I never really saw it coming. Does she have to die to make the show work?

[dotmarie]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 5:49pm

Though she may be a bit selfish, I personally can't interpret her character as evil. Everyone in this show is selfish to some degree -- it's what the moral is centered about. I agree that she is extremely complex. In the first act, we see the side of her that is practical, cunning, determined...I don't think she's necessarily unhappy with her life, but she does fantasize of a glamorous, royal lifestyle the way people today might fantasize about the lives of Hollywood celebrities. In Act II, she gets a dose of reality in her affair with the prince. "Moments in the Woods" is her revelation in which she establishes that she doesn't regret what she did, because it's made her realize how good a life she does have with her husband and child. I think in that moment, she's quite a strong character. But of course that's also the moment where she dies.

I do think her death is vital to the story...mostly in the character development of the Baker. In their marriage, she was always the one in charge, in spite of the Baker thinking otherwise.. (typical). When she dies, he must rise to the challenge and raise the baby alone.

[Caleb]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 7:04pm

She's a very interesting, complex character, which is why Joanna Gleason won a Tony award for playing a character who doesn't even have a name.

I urge you all to go see Into the Woods at NYU, March 30-April 2. The girl playing the Baker's Wife is doing an incredible job recreating the character. It's EXTREMELY difficult, because Joanna Gleason was so perfect in the role, AND it was captured on DVD. You don't want to copy the performance, but you can't depart radically from it. This actress is doing great at making the part her own, but really honoring the spirit of Joanna Gleason's creation.

[Jon]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 7:11pm

As much as I adore Joanna Gleason aand Chip Zien, I do feel that they tended to play the Baker and his Wife as if they were a contemporary New York City couple in a Woody Allen movie. The actors in the revival, while not as "interesting" as the originals, seemed closer to the idea that they are peasants.