Yeah, I don’t really understand why she never overtly tried to kill anyone except Hook and Henry (and she tried to kill them for bait, not to get them out of the way, make people’s lives a misery, etc.). She’s had so many chances to kill people she didn’t need for the curse, but never did it, or even tried to.
Well, there was that one instance where she ordered Rumple to kill Belle which really seems like an act of gratuitous murder since Belle is hardly a threat to her. The only reason I can think of is payback for Rumple abandoning her and maybe a bit of jealousy that yet again someone else is placed before her in Rumple’s heart.
I agree that Zelena hasn’t really done a lot of on-screen damage compared with other villains we have seen. However, one thing to consider is that if her plan succeeds, she may cause a lot of people to no longer exist in the altered timeline (whole generations may be wiped out) even if that wasn’t her intent. That makes her as much of a mass murderer as Regina or Rumple though in a different way.
I think in many ways, Zelena acts like an overgrown child who needs to be pampered and soothed (she is oddly suited for the seat of innocence). I don’t think she really cares for wealth or power, she just wants someone to put her first; whether that be Cora, or Rumple or Glinda.
I’m convinced that after killing Zelena, Rumple went back home to Belle and swapped the daggers back so Belle had the real one again.
Why would he need to give Belle a fake in the first place then? As long as Belle doesn’t specifically order him not to kill Zelena (which she did not and is unlikely ever to), he is free to kill Zelena even if the the dagger is not in his hands. The dagger doesn’t work on the holder’s thoughts or feelings, else Rumple could never have attempted to attack Zelena or try to steal the dagger from her.
It was clear that Zelena wasn’t going to take the second chance, she showed no remorse or guilt whatsoever for what she put Rumple through. The only time she even tried to act repentant was when she realised Rumple was actually going to kill her
As I have argued above, Zelena simply wants to be deemed irreplaceable in someone’s heart. She was willing to put aside her jealousy of Regina when the other witches accepted her into their circle because she thought that was a unique position left solely for her (until Dorothy came along). If Regina is willing to let bygones be bygones and accept her as her sister and into her family, I actually think it is quite likely Zelena would have taken the second chance. After all, Zelena is Regina’s only living blood relative, no one else can take her place.