Exploring Illocutionary Acts of Elphaba and Glinda Interaction in Wicked Film

Abstract

This study aims to identify the types of illocutionary acts in the interaction between Elphaba and Glinda in the musical film Wicked, and to explain their functions in shaping character relationships, development, and narrative progression. The research applies a qualitative descriptive method with Austin’s Speech Act Theory, using selected utterances of the two characters as the data source. The analysis reveals a total of 84 illocutionary acts, consisting of 24 expositive, 17 exercitive, 17 verdictive, 15 commissive, and 11 behabitive acts. Among these, expositive acts appear as the most dominant because they are frequently used to clarify, elaborate, and construct reasoning, while behabitive acts are found to be the least. The illocutionary acts identified not only convey communicative intentions but also reveal emotional dynamics, psychological development, and their crucial role in advancing the plot. These findings affirm that Austin’s theory can be effectively applied to fictional works to uncover the pragmatic dimensions of character interaction. The study carries implications for teaching pragmatics, discourse analysis, and literary studies, and it may also serve as a reference for material development, translation practice, and further
research in broader contexts.