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Quotes
Woyzeck
Woyzeck is the play’s main character. A soldier stationed in a provincial German town, he lives with his lover, Marie, and their child. Woyzeck’s existence is one of endless work, suffering, and misery…
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Marie
Marie is Woyzeck’s lover and the mother of his child. Woyzeck lives with her at the beginning of the play, though he is hardly home because he is constantly working, and he stops…
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Drum Major
The drum major is Marie’s lover, though the play only implies that they have consummated their illicit affair. A handsome and self-important man, the drum major’s higher rank and middle-class status imbues him with…
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Captain
The captain is Woyzeck’s superior. Like the doctor, he condescends to Woyzeck, whom he considers naïve and unintelligent. The captain also demonstrates a notable indifference or ignorance to Woyzeck’s struggle. For instance, he…
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Doctor
To support himself, Marie, and their child, Woyzeck agrees to allow the doctor to perform experiments on him. The doctor is a bumbling, obnoxious man who seems more interested in humiliating Woyzeck than…
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Get the entire Woyzeck LitChart as a printable PDF.
Showman
At the beginning of Woyzeck, Marie and Woyzeck attend a local fair and watch as a showman leads in a horse that can perform extraordinary tricks, like counting. The showman cites the horse’s talents…
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Sergeant
The sergeant is the drum major’s associate. He is with the drum major when they first spot Marie at the fair, and both men are struck by her beauty. When a showman at the…
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Minor Characters
Andres
Andres is Woyzeck’s fellow soldier. Woyzeck tries to confide in Andres about the hallucinations he experiences, the voices he hears, and his anguish over Marie’s possible infidelity, but Andres doesn’t take Woyzeck’s concerns seriously.
Barker
At the beginning of Woyzeck, Marie and Woyzeck attend a local fair. There, a barker shows the crowd a monkey who can march like a solider—though the barker admits that this isn’t all that impressive, as soldiers are “the lowest form of humanity.”
Two Journeymen
The two journeymen are patrons of a local inn. There, they drink together, lamenting their various woes. Later in the play, one of the journeymen delivers a mock sermon about the meaning of life.
Margret
Margret is Marie’s neighbor. She judges Marie for ogling the drum major while the two women watch a passing military procession, though she herself also remarks on the man’s good looks.
Grandmother
On a walk with Marie, Margret, and some children one day, Grandmother tells a story about a poor orphan who travels to the moon and back, only to find misery and depravity wherever he goes.
Woyzeck and Marie’s Child
Born to unwed parents, Woyzeck and Marie’s child is the source of great joy and shame for the couple, whose community views the child as evidence of his parents’ sinful and immoral ways.
