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Drum Major
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 repeatedly condemns Woyzeck’s immoral lifestyle (Woyzeck has fathered a child outside of marriage) and his harried, anxious demeanor without considering how the unrelenting misery and harshness of Woyzeck’s life affects Woyzeck’s actions and behavior. Meanwhile the captain laments his own existential woes, like his anxiety about not being able to fill all hours of the day, failing to realize that someone in Woyzeck’s position would be grateful to have such frivolous problems.
Captain Quotes in Woyzeck
The Woyzeck quotes below are all either spoken by Captain or refer to Captain. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Scene 1
Quotes
Yes, Andres, the place is cursed.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Scene 2
Quotes
What a man. He’s possessed. He didn’t even look at his child. He’ll go mad with thinking.
Scene 3
Quotes
Gentlemen! Gentlemen! Observe this creature God has created. A nothing, a mere nothing at all. But see what he has achieved; he walks upright, has a coat and trousers, carries a sword. The monkey is a soldier. Though that’s not saying much, the lowest form of humanity.
Scene 6
Quotes
Slowly, Woyzeck, slowly, one thing at a time. You’re making me dizzy. What am I going to do with the extra ten minutes you save? Imagine, Woyzeck, you’ve got a good thirty years yet to live, thirty years! That’s 360 months. And days, hours, minutes. What are you going to do with all that time? Pace yourself, Woyzeck.
We poor folk – you see, Captain, it’s money, money, when you’ve got none. You can’t set a fellow like me in the world on just morals, a man is flesh and blood as well. The likes of us are unblessed in this world and in the next. I expect when we get to Heaven we’ll have to help out with the thunder.
Scene 10
Quotes
He runs through the world like an open razor, you could cut yourself on him.
Get the entire Woyzeck LitChart as a printable PDF.
Captain Quotes in Woyzeck
The Woyzeck quotes below are all either spoken by Captain or refer to Captain. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Scene 1
Quotes
Yes, Andres, the place is cursed.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Scene 2
Quotes
What a man. He’s possessed. He didn’t even look at his child. He’ll go mad with thinking.
Scene 3
Quotes
Gentlemen! Gentlemen! Observe this creature God has created. A nothing, a mere nothing at all. But see what he has achieved; he walks upright, has a coat and trousers, carries a sword. The monkey is a soldier. Though that’s not saying much, the lowest form of humanity.
Scene 6
Quotes
Slowly, Woyzeck, slowly, one thing at a time. You’re making me dizzy. What am I going to do with the extra ten minutes you save? Imagine, Woyzeck, you’ve got a good thirty years yet to live, thirty years! That’s 360 months. And days, hours, minutes. What are you going to do with all that time? Pace yourself, Woyzeck.
We poor folk – you see, Captain, it’s money, money, when you’ve got none. You can’t set a fellow like me in the world on just morals, a man is flesh and blood as well. The likes of us are unblessed in this world and in the next. I expect when we get to Heaven we’ll have to help out with the thunder.
Scene 10
Quotes
He runs through the world like an open razor, you could cut yourself on him.
