Woyzeck

Question 1

Scene 1

Answer 1

The woods- Woyzeck is in the woods with Andres. they are soldiers. He tells his friend that this place is cursed. He is hallucinating, and seems agitated and paranoid. Andres cannot see or hear the things that Woyzeck does. eventually the drums sound and they must return to the barracks

Question 2

scene 2

Answer 2

Maries House- Marie is holding the baby and she and margaret are admiring the drum major as he is outside the window. He salutes Marie. Margaret notices Maries eyes shining. Marie finds this insulting and argues with Margaret where she then leaves. Marie tells her baby that she is the child of a whore and then sings to it. Woyzeck arrives and tells Marie about his hallucinations but does not look at the baby

Question 3

scene 3

Answer 3

The Fairground- Marie and Woyzeck are at the fair. The Showman invites them inside and the drum major and the Sergeant enter. they both ogle marie then go inside the tent. the showman presents a horse which can mock mankind and the sergeant orders Woyzeck to help the showman attend to his effects so that the drum major can take Marie off into the woods.

Question 4

scene 4

Answer 4

Maries Room- Marie is tucking the baby into the crib. she is admiring her new earrings that the drum major got her. when woyzeck enters he spots the earrings and Marie says she found them. Marie then curses herself to hell and says how she ‘ought to cut her own throat’.

Question 5

scene 5

Answer 5

The captains room- the captain is sitting at his chair awaiting a shave from Woyzeck. He mocks Woyzeck, saying that he has no virtues. Woyzeck argues that if he had money he would have morals and virtues. this scene shows the disjunct between the classes, as neither of the men truly understands the others situation

Question 6

scene 6

Answer 6

the street- Woyzeck is urinating against a wall. he is caught by the doctor who is not pleased. we learn the doctor is paying Woyzeck to be his lab rat on a pea only diet and the doctor is examining the physical and mental effects this has. he says that woyzeck is set for an asylum. woyzeck is oblivious and continues to be a lab rat as he is getting paid

Question 7

scene 7

Answer 7

maries room- the drum major is with marie, marching round the room for her pleasure. he makes an advance on her. at first she fights him off then gives into him

Question 8

scene 8

Answer 8

the doctors teaching room- the doctor is presenting Woyzeck to an audience of students. He explains the peas only diet and asks the students to observe Woyzecks irregular pulse and peculiar eyes. this scene highlights the inhumane treatment of Woyzeck

Question 9

scene 9

Answer 9

the street- the doctor and the captain jest with eachother. Woyzeck arrives and the captain insinuates that Marie is having an affair with the drum major. Woyzeck initially thinks he is joking, tragically explaining that he has nothing but her in the world. when he realises it isnt a joke, he runs off.

Question 10

scene 10

Answer 10

Maries room- Woyzeck confronts Marie. He is in a fit of grief over the news of her infidelity. Marie evades his accusations, insisting that he is delirious. He calls her a whore and exits.

Question 11

scene 11

Answer 11

the guardroom- Woyzeck is with Andres who tries to convince him to come dancing at the inn. Woyzeck is preoccupied with thoughts of marie and the drum major. his mental state is deteriorating and does so from now until the end of the play.

Question 12

scene 12

Answer 12

the tavern- Woyzeck arrives at the tavern, and sees the Drum Major dancing with Marie, leaving him grief stricken. He spirals into deeper madness, eventually running out.

Question 13

scene 13

Answer 13

the woods- Woyzeck is rambling in a crazed state. he seems to be having a conversation with his conscience debating whether he must stab marie. the conclusion appears to be that he must

Question 14

scene 14

Answer 14

the guardroom- Woyzeck tells Andres that he cannot sleep as everything spins when he closes his eyes. his friend is half asleep and tells him to go to bed. Woyzeck is caught in his thoughts of stabbing, and goes out into the night

Question 15

scene 15

Answer 15

the tavern- Woyzeck confronts the drum major at the tavern, but insubordinately whistling at him. This enrages the Drum Major who after the provocation beats up Woyzeck

Question 16

scene 16

Answer 16

the guardroom- woyzeck quizzes andres on what he has heard from the drum major saying about Marie. Andres does not see the need for Woyzeck to know what he said and gives him a potentially facetious chauvinistic quote. whether this is verbatim from the drum major or not it is enough to cause Woyzeck to storm off

Question 17

scene 17

Answer 17

the Jews shop- woyzeck arrives and asks how much a gun costs. once he establishes that he cannot afford this he settles for a knife. it is for the director to interpret why he is looking for a gun, when the voices in his head have been talking of stabbing.

Question 18

scene 18

Answer 18

maries room- Marie is reading to her baby from the Bible. She is clearly wracked with guilt over her infidelity. it is as though she is asking God for her forgiveness and to be absolved of her sins

Question 19

scene 19

Answer 19

the guardroom- Woyzeck is going through his kitbag in the guardroom with Andres. He is talking to Andres about his belongings as though he will not be coming back. Andres urges him to report sick, as there is clearly something going wrong with him

Question 20

scene 20

Answer 20

the street- Marie and Margaret are standing in the street by the grandmother who is seated. Margaret sings for her but the old woman does not like it. they ask her to tell them a story. She tells a dark tale about an orphaned boy who is alone and searches fruitlessly for happiness for all eternity. This story could be representative of the play. it highlights the futility of mankind. this scene ends as Woyzeck arrives and leads Marie away saying ‘its time’

Question 21

scene 21

Answer 21

the woods- marie is scared as Woyzeck has led her into the woods. He stabs her holds her head back and cuts her throat. After letting her body fall he turns and runs. it is the job of the director and the actors to decide how exactly this death scene plays out

Question 22

scene 22

Answer 22

the tavern- woyzeck bursts into the tavern and joins in the dancing. he is in a blood soaked frenzy. Margaret notices that he has blood on his hand. the crowd turn on him realising that he is covered in blood. Woyzeck hastily denies that he is a murderer and rushes through the crowd and out of the door

Question 23

scene 23

Answer 23

the woods- Woyzeck returns to Maries lifeless body in the woods. he talks to her as though she can hear him, asking her questions which of course she cannot answer. it is as though he is revelling in the mockery. he lifts her body and descends with it into the water, claiming he is going to wash her. the two journeymen come by the wood and hear her drowning.

Question 24

scene 24

Answer 24

the morgue- marie and woyzecks corpses lie under the sheets in the morgue. the doctor enters and inspects the bodies. he concludes maries death was caused by a slit to the throat and finds there is no blood in Woyzecks body

Question 25

scene 25

Answer 25

the woods- Andres is chopping sticks. he hears whistling. he discovers blood in the sticks and assumes he must have cut himself. he hears the whistling again and begins to scrabble in the sticks.