Woyzeck

Woyzeck is a stage play written by Georg Büchner, director Kushtrim Bekteshi.

Albanian National Theatre

Cast: Musa Isufi (Woyzeck), Mirlinda Saiti (Maria), Ylber Murtezi (Andreas), Salaetin Bilall (Doctor), Adrian Aziri (Captain), Muzbajdin Qamili (Majori), Osman Ahmeti (Maestro of circ), Genci Mirzo (Kapteri), Beqir Nuredini (Karl), Aida Alidemi (Margareta), and other actors like: Sefedin Shabani, Besfort Idrizi, Visar Etemi, Miradije Osmani, Blerim Dardhishta, Hajrulla Ramizi, Mirsad Abazi, e të tjerë. Costumography realizet by Marija Pupuçevska, muzik by Marjan Neçak, ndërsa scenography by Betim Zeqiri.

Franz Woyzeck, a lowly soldier stationed in a provincial German town, is married to Marie, a common wife, and father of a child not blessed by the church. Woyzeck earns extra money for his family by performing menial jobs for the Captain and agreeing to take part in medical experiments conducted by the Doctor. As one of these experiments, the Doctor tells Woyzeck he must eat nothing but peas. It is obvious that Woyzeck's mental health is breaking down and he begins to experience a series of apocalyptic visions. Meanwhile, Marie grows tired of Woyzeck and turns her attentions to a handsome drum major who, in an ambiguous scene taking place in Marie's bedroom, arguably rapes her.

With his jealous suspicions growing, Woyzeck confronts the drum major, who beats him up and humiliates him. Finally, Woyzeck stabs Marie to death by a pond. While a third act trial is claimed by some to have been part of the original conception, the fragment as left by Büchner ends with Woyzeck disposing of the knife in the pond, and most renditions extrapolate this with him drowning while trying to clean himself of the blood after having dumped the knife in deep waters.

Woyzeck is a comment on social conditions as well as an exploration of complex themes such as poverty. Woyzeck is considered as morally lacking by other characters of higher status, such as the Captain, particularly in the scene in which Woyzeck shaves the Captain. The Captain links wealth and status with morality suggesting Woyzeck cannot have morals as he is poor. It is the exploitation of the character Woyzeck by the Doctor and the Captain which ultimately pushes him over the edge.