Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Woyzeck, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Human Nature
Secrecy, Paranoia, and Betrayal
Poverty and Suffering
Character vs. Circumstance
Summary
Analysis
At the doctor’s, the doctor puzzles over Woyzeck’s recent behavior. He saw Woyzeck pee on the street, “like a dog.” He thinks the world is going in a bad direction and says that humans have free will and should be able to control their instincts.
The doctor, like the captain, uses Woyzeck’s lower status to dehumanize and talk down to him. His remark about humans having free will and therefore the capacity to control their instincts ignores the role that circumstance plays in human behavior. Woyzeck is constantly working and therefore constantly in a hurry. On top of this, people already look down on him in the first place, so why shouldn’t he relieve himself in the street if it'll save him some time?
Themes
The doctor reminds Woyzeck that the experiment requires Woyzeck to eat only peas. He gloats about how famous he’ll be once he shares his research with the world. He orders Woyzeck to try and pee again, but Woyzeck says he can’t. This exasperates the doctor, but he insists he’s not angry. That would be unhealthy, and it’s not good to get angry about other humans.
This experiment, which seems to be designed to test the effects of a pea-only diet on one’s urine, could explain some of the delusional thinking and hallucinations Woyzeck has been experiencing recently—he’s clearly not getting the nutrients he needs to fuel his body. The doctor’s remark about controlling his anger for the sake of his health is as condescending and moralizing as the captain’s earlier advice to Woyzeck to keep busy: the doctor seems to imply that he is better than Woyzeck because he is able to exercise self-restraint. In reality, the doctor’s comfortable, middle-class lifestyle is likely a bigger influence on his ability to regulate his emotions than his innate character. And conversely, Woyzeck’s unrelentingly stressful life—not an innately weak-willed disposition—contributes to his inability to regulate his emotions.
Themes
Woyzeck asks the doctor if he’s “ever seen double nature,” as when the sun is at its highest point, making the world look like it’s on fire. In such moments, Woyzeck claims, he has heard “a terrible voice” address him. The doctor says Woyzeck is being delusional. Woyzeck moves his finger to his nose and says the pattern of the mushrooms on the ground will have the answer. He wishes he could understand what they mean. Hearing this, the doctor says that Woyzeck’s “aberration mentalis partialis” is so great that he’s going to revise his diagnosis: “Second category: fixed idea but otherwise rational.”
Woyzeck’s rather cryptic question about “double nature” and his admission that he has begun to hear “a terrible voice” is further evidence of his compromised mental state—which could very well be caused by his participation in the doctor’s bizarre research experiment. The doctor’s failure to express concern for Woyzeck’s odd behavior shows how little he cares about Woyzeck as a fellow human: he only cares about how Woyzeck can further his research and boost his reputation.
Themes
The doctor asks if Woyzeck is still working for the captain. Woyzeck says he is. The doctor takes Woyzeck’s pulse and tells him to keep up the good work.
It’s further evidence of the doctor’s disregard for Woyzeck’s humanity that he considers Woyzeck’s failing health a positive thing: the doctor believes that his professional pursuits are more important than Woyzeck’s actual life.
Themes
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