Ready Reference Treatise: Woyzeck

By Raja Sharma

“Woyzeck” by Georg Buchner was first published in 1879. The author had left it incomplete when he died, but several writers, editors, and translators finished the play after the death of the playwright.

In Germany, “Woyzeck” has come to be one of the most performed and most influential plays.

It is believed that the playwright had probably begun to write the play between June and September 1836.

When the playwright died, the play was still incomplete. Karl Emil Franzos first published it.

Ready Reference Treatise: Woyzeck
Copyright
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Plot Overview
Chapter Three: Major Characters
Chapter Four: Complete Summary
Chapter Five: Critical Analysis

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raja Sharma
• Release date: Feb 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311376862

Raja Sharma

Raja Sharma is a retired college lecturer.He has taught English Literature to University students for more than two decades.His students are scattered all over the world, and it is noticeable that he is in contact with more than ninety thousand of his students.

Book preview

Ready Reference Treatise: Woyzeck

Copyright

Ready Reference Treatise: Woyzeck

Raja Sharma

Copyright@2015 Raja Sharma

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved

Chapter One: Introduction

Woyzeck by Georg Buchner was first published in 1879. The author had left it incomplete when he died, but several writers, editors, and translators finished the play after the death of the playwright.

In Germany, Woyzeck has come to be one of the most performed and most influential plays.

It is believed that the playwright had probably begun to write the play between June and September 1836.

When the playwright died, the play was still incomplete. Karl Emil Franzos first published it.

The play was performed for the first time on 8th of November, 1913, at the Residenztheater Munich. The play was produced by Max Reinhardt.

The play revolves around the life of a young man and how the young man experiences dehumanizing effects of doctors and the military.

The play is often evaluated as a ‘working class’ tragedy, although there is also a significant dimension of perennial tragedy of human jealously.

Most of the expressionist playwrights of the time and the famous German naturalist Gerhart Hauptmann admired the play.

The story is partly based on the true story of Johann Christian Woyzeck who was a Leipzig wigmaker who eventually became a soldier.

Out of jealousy and incontrollable anger, Johann Christian Woyzeck had murdered Christiane Woost in 1821. She was a widow. Woyzeck had been living with her. He was caught and publicly beheaded.

The play is a kind of social comment on social conditions and an exploration of complex themes such as poverty. Another significant theme is the theme of morality in the play.

The Captain is a man of higher status and lack of morality is obvious when Woyzeck shaves the Captain who believes that only rich and prominent people have morality and the characters such as Woyzeck, who are poor, lack poverty.

The Doctor and the Captain exploit Woyzeck who is eventually pushed over the edge. The play leaves audiences with several unanswered questions.

Chapter Two: Plot Overview

This tragic tale revolves around the life of a military barber and wigmaker named Woyzeck.