Imagine a world where nothing was going right for you? Büchner's Woyzeck is that world, written using romanticism technique while foreshadowing realism and expressionism movements that would soon arise. Woyzeck is a play about a man named Franz Woyzeck, a soldier who struggles to survive both economically and arguably socially. His journey is a combination of human experiments, and abuse by everyone around him. However, like every good traumatizing experience the outcome would be tragic, as Woyzeck begins to go crazy and kills his partner Marie fueled with the belief she was unfaithful.  What drives him there? It’s important to recognize that Büchner's died before he completed the play itself and so much has been left to interpretation. Due to its strange nature it wasn’t performed and accepted until the 20th century, the first performance recorded was in 1913. What’s intriguing of this piece is beyond the fact that Büchner was a radical playwright or how this playwright eventually became delusional and hopeless that change could occur. It’s the nature of the world of the play, cruel, quiet and cold. In these social circumstance playwrights felt the need to create heroes who would protect their individuality and who would rise and question the bourgeoisie. Due to the structure of the piece, audience members may find themselves confused, which is why the following information will be insightful in understanding the structure,  the motives and the characters that make up the world of Woyzeck.

Playwright Georg Büchner was born in Goddelau, Germany, October 17th, 1813.  Büchner was a young German dramatist that contributed to the young Germany movement. Although he studied the natural sciences, he is mostly remembered for his literary contribution and his radical ideas.  His father was a physician working during the Napoleonic Wars. Which could explain his reason for writing Woyzeck in the first place. Many acts of rebellion occurred during this reign, as Europe entered an era of revolutions.  An event during the Napoleon’s ruling was The Decembrist revolt, which was a group of Russian liberal army officers who revolted in December of 1925 in hopes of accomplishing their goal of establishing a fair-constituent assembly that would decide fairly the futures of Russia. The rebellion wasn’t successful and five of the 'Decembrists' were to be hanged while another 121 army officers were sentenced to hard labor. The liberal army officers main leaders of the Decembrist revolt were enlighten by the modern ideas that had swept through Europe in Napoleon's time (freedom and liberty). Analyzing Woyzeck Büchner’s own political beliefs, it could be argued that he wrote the play as a disillusion to his very own radical hopes. Could the world ever stop being a cruel place? Could there be change? Democracy? These questions interplay in the play itself.

However, What makes the world of play? Tension, rebellion and again lack of hope. It is the tension in the entire piece from one individual to another, all projected through class struggle- gender struggle-authority struggle, in which Woyzeck rebels and mentally breaks. An example of this tension to be specific in gender struggle can be found as Marie walks by the Drum Major and a Sergeant by the first time.

"SERGEANT. Hold it! Over there. Look at her! What a piece!

DRUM MAJOR. Damn! Good enough for the propagation of cavalry

Regiments and the breeding of drum majors.

SERGEANT. Look how she holds her head-you'd think that black

Hair would pull her down like a weight. And those eyes, black...

DRUM MAJOR. It's like looking down a well or a chimney. Come on, after her!”

In this small interaction, her male counterparts objectify Marie, the audience witnesses as a woman and her partner say nothing in reply to the comments.  It is clear that to these men, Marie is only meant for breeding. Does (Woyzeck) kill Marie as a way for Büchner to release frustration against a society that turns an eye blind to what is wrong? Or the consistent injustices going on in Europe no one stops? As much as it can be argued that the amount of social injustices can drive a man to mania, this murder did actually occur. Which brings us back to thinking this world of play was Büchner ’s frustration release.  There is a crucial moment in the play when Woyzeck finally stands up against Drum major but is immediately threaten and oppressed. Note the following scene, the description and the event that occurs.

DRUM MAJOR. WOYZECK. PEOPLE.

DRUM MAJOR. I'm a man! [Pounds his chest.] A man, I say. Who

Wants to start something? If you're not drunk as a lord, stay away

 From me. I'll shove your nose up your ass. I'll ... [To WOYZECK.]

Man, have a drink. A man gotta drink. I wish the world was booze, booze.

WOYZECK. [Whistles.]

DRUM MAJOR. You bastard, you want me to pull your tongue out of

Your throat and wrap it around you? (They wrestle, WOYZECK loses.) Shall I

leave you as much breath as an old woman's fart? Shall I?

(WOYZECK sits on the bench, exhausted and trembling. ) DRUM MAJOR. He

can whistle till he's blue in the face. Hal

Oh, brandy, that's my life,

Oh, brandy give me courage!

 A PERSON. He sure got what was coming to him.

 ANDRES. Oh, yeah-let

again.]

 ANOTHER. He's bleeding.

WOYZECK. One thing after another.

            Just as Woyzeck show signs of standing up a higher-class ridicules him. While it’s no surprise the world of play may have had a social commentary on the circumstance and a hint of Marxist ideas (over throwing bourgeois-classless society). It should also be noted that Marx was still very young and that at this point it may have solely been Büchner ’s disillusion in social justice present in writing this piece. Woyzeck does not attempt to overthrow any bourgeois and clearly does not look to establish a world of play without class separation as the emphasis is placed. However, the world of play is simple, the poor man has no moral or a conscious. He is an object and not looked at as a human. In Barbra Rugen’s “ Woyzeck: A New Approach” brings to light that Woyzeck was a victim as much as Marie or even more. The article presented a new contribution to the world of play. Ironically an ideology that was produced by Charles Darwin who was influential during Bucher’s era, while there’s no proof of this theory the following suggest a connection. What was the big contribution? Heredity and Environment. 

“Gilman, Brustein, and Lindenberge argue that the play operates on an existential level, for "what is on display here," writes Gilman," is a world from which values do not rise, denouements do not cure, personal fate does not teach others"(Gilman,p.29).No moral is to be drawn ,adds Brusteino, only the recognition that "society is merely another form of Nature, and in the state of Nature ,man is simply another of the beasts; "Woyzeck is "at the mercy of a cold ,unfeeling world in which God is dead and man is slowly dying of a lingering disease" (Brustein,pp.6,5); or as Lindenberger puts it ,"the oppression and callousness of which Woyzeck is a victim are . . . themselves shown as products of a sick and pre- carious world"(Lindenberger p,. 107).

The world of play in which Woyzeck lived “personal fates” do not teach a moral to others. At the ending of the play Marie’s death is not noticed, it is not made into a big deal and eventually shrugged off. If we consider the world of play and it’s details, than the passage is correct “man is simply another beast” cruel and cold, Woyzeck was a victim to his harsh realities. No one really pays attention to him, he often oppressed and humiliated himself.  How exactly did the audience/ reader of Woyzeck not expect him to go crazy? Environment is specifically this, events, relationships, human interactions that influence physiological development. I began to question if that’s also why the structure of the play was unique and abstract I began to also connect Heredity due to the following:

 “Woyzeck is denied full humanity by the captain and the doctor. The struggle in Woyzeck is not simply between classes, but between species. It is an absolute struggle, signaled by the absolute gap between Woyzeck and those above him"(Schechner,p. 16)” (p.73)

In Heredity characteristics from biological parents are passed on to their genes. While there is no evidence, the term “species” can be open to interpretation. According to Darwin some “species” were better and fit to survive. Using this context- it is only clear that Woyzeck was destined from the very beginning to fail, assuming his parents were not wealthy (the play shows no signs) and often it is know that soldiers weren’t, also using how he made his living, one can conclude that these two theories played a small role in Woyzeck’s fate. It’s crucial for these things to be consider when producing a new a production of Wozyeck. Robert Wilson’s production of Woyzeck was a combination of music and dialogue- as if Berg and  Büchner had met in the middle. His production does not force the audience to choose between the opera version and the regular play adaption. The review mentions “The work is a remarkable collaboration between Wilson and Waits; a synthesis of movement, space, music and light achieved at the highest level. It is a chilling and alarming depiction of a downward spiral into despair and madness; sound and vision combined to create an atmosphere of menace. Ironically, this performance provides the audience with a unique version of Woyzeck in which the dialogue is still there but the play itself has a type of soundtrack. Not to mention the production was praised for its attention to detail. Overall this production captured Berg’s and Buchner visions and created a middle spot, while also adding lights and other media to tell the story. As stated “Kathleen Brennan and Tom Waits are responsible for the music and songs, though these two words provide an inadequate description of the 'soundtrack'. At times it felt that the stage space was being designed around the songs, and at others that the noise and music were a terrifying accompaniment to Wilson's vision.” According to this critic this production made sure all its components complimented each other. I believe this production to be crucial is Woyzeck production history because it’s various modern ways to capture and story tell. Its abstract presentation and its ability to use music without it turning into a musical or opera.

 During this production, the cast was inspired by Jimi Hendrix song “Hey Joe”, as the intention of infidelity and murder is captured perfectly in the tune- but it’s the rollercoaster the song takes you on which the production will adapt as well. Regardless, because this is a play has a unique structure it was used by the director to create a unique theatrical experience, while keeping the motives and  the essence of the story clear.