Human Nature
One of the central concerns of Woyzeck is the conflict between human nature and social norms. While a society might successfully use threats of punishment or social ostracization to discourage people from acting on their baser instincts, this doesn’t eliminate those instincts altogether: it merely conceals them. And as Woyzeck’s final brutal act—his murder of Marie, the mother of his child, over suspicions of her infidelity—seems to indicate, a human can only…
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Secrecy, Paranoia, and Betrayal
Toward the beginning of Woyzeck, Franz Woyzeck discovers Marie, the mother of his child, wearing an unfamiliar pair of gold earrings. When he confronts her about where she got them, she nervously claims to have found the earrings on the ground, when in fact the earrings are likely a gift from the haughty and handsome drum major with whom she is having an affair. Unconvinced by Marie’s explanation, Woyzeck grows more suspicious…
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Poverty and Suffering
Woyzeck tells the story of Franz Woyzeck, a soldier stationed in a German town in the early nineteenth century. Woyzeck’s low social status as a soldier leaves him vulnerable to abuse and exploitation from his employers and other higher-ranking members of his community. Because his position doesn’t pay enough for him to support himself, Marie, and their child, Woyzeck takes on extra work as a research subject for a local doctor who…
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Character vs. Circumstance
Whether a person’s behavior is a reflection of their inner character or a consequence of their external circumstances is a recurring question throughout Woyzeck as characters consider the forces that motivate their actions and shape the course of their lives. In an early scene, the captain whom Woyzeck serves remarks that although Woyzeck is “a decent man,” he has “no morals,” referencing Woyzeck’s illegitimate child with Marie. In response, Woyzeck argues that it’s unfair…
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