WOYZECK:
I thought it would have altered you, I thought I’d be able to see it in your face!
JOAN:
What do you want with her?
WOYZECK:
(ignoring her) After all, a betrayal that monstrous! I thought it would have turned you into an ugly bitch overnight — to look at, as well as in my mind!
JOAN:
You know nothing about her! Leave her alone!
WOYZECK:
But your lips look as soft as ever. . .Are they bruised, Marie, does he bruise your soft mouth? How can a woman do what you’ve done and still be so lovely!
WOYZECK moves as if to embrace her, obviously loving her. JOAN gets between him and MARIE, who backs away.
MARIE:
Franz, you’re not well yet!
WOYZECK:
(points appropriately at her, shouts) Was he there, woman? Was he there? Was he?!
MARIE turns away, WOYZEK pushes JOAN aside, and makes as if to grab MARIE.
MARIE:
No! You won’t touch me! I’d rather you killed me than so much as touch my hand! Even my father didn’t dare touch me from the time I was ten! No one touches me unless I want them to!
WOYZECK watches as she avoids him, no longer able to find the will to pursue. MARIE and JOAN exeunt. Hold on WOYZECK’s dejection as long as it will bear.
BLACKOUT
SCENE SIXTEEN
WOYZECK downstage left, standing at ease, facing audience, unmoving. Bare stage. CO next to back wall of stage, back to audience. Hold for a long silence: CO turns: another silence, somewhat shorter: then:
CO:
Where’s it all going to end, Woyzeck?
WOYZECK’s eyes flicker towards the direction the CO speaks from: otherwise he does not show he has heard.
Hold for a long silence.
BLACKOUT
SCENE SEVENTEEN
Terrace of a café: as Sc. 4. Noisy. Dancing. Music. ANDRES and WOYZECK drinking sullenly. Suddenly a student leaps on a table and begins preaching. Others react vociferously during his speech.
1ST STUDENT:
(drunkenly) Brethren, verily, verily, I say unto you that I am the bearer of tidings of great moment! I have good news for you! I have been vouchsafed a vision! An official communication from God! The Almighty has spoken to me of why he started it all! What it’s all about! It seems it happened rather like this, Brethren. God was mooning around one day with nothing much to do, twiddling his celestial thumbs, when he thought of the idea of the Creation. He says it came to him in a blinding flash, this idea. Not very original choice of words, the Almighty! But there, he doesn’t have to worry about his listeners, he’s got everything going for him! The trouble arose, Brethren, when he actually came to put this wonderful idea of the Creation into practice! You see, it’s one thing to think of the idea, but quite another to actually do it! He just hadn’t got the right sort of power, or enough of it, to complete the Grand Design! But Brethren, and this is the good news I promised you, he does say, the Almighty told me, that he’s learnt so much from the experiment! He’s so grateful to us and the rest of creation for what we’ve taught him! He said he’ll find it so useful next time! In fact, he’s already embarking on a yet larger project!
2ND STUDENT:
You mean he’s buggered off and left us?
1ST STUDENT:
Yes, Brethren, that’s the final piece of Good News! He’s gone, but he sends his best wishes. He’s gone, we’re free, free FREE!!
General applause: the Student is pulled down, fêted. Towards the end of his speech, WOYZECK has wandered off to watch the dancing (this can be offstage, if necessary) and now he comes back to ANDRES.
WOYZECK:
They’re dancing!
ANDRES:
Leave it alone! It can’t do you any good!
WOYZECK:
I don’t want to be done any good! The way he holds her! It’s. . .obscene! (pause) I can see she likes it. . .The bastard! (pause) Soon it’ll be done with. . .
ANDRES:
Yes, you’ll soon forget her.
WOYZECK:
That’s not. . .
WOYZECK has seen the DRUM MAJOR and MARIE approaching arm in arm, WOYZECK suddenly attacks the DRUM MAJOR.
WOYZECK:
These hands!
WOYZECK and the DRUM MAJOR fight WOYZECK is easily beaten, ends up in a corner nearly unconscious. Dim lights except one on him: exeunt all others except MAN who is not, however, really noticeable until after song. WOYZECK slowly stirs, bloody, dishevelled: gets up: comes forward to audience.
WOYZECK:
One sodding thing after another:
(sings) Just when you think you’re set
And’ve won your private bet,
You expect to draw your due —
Then it catches up with you:
Life’s one sodding thing after another!
It’s possible to forget
You’re heavily in debt;
You feel you’re in control
And then it takes its toll —
Just one sodding thing after another!
Since everything’s upset
The best terms I could get
Then — chaos! Nothing matters!
And I’m not finished yet
With one sodding thing after another!
WOYZECK turns away. Bring lights up slowly to represent evening, sunset. The man sits at a café table.
WOYZECK:
Look at that! (genuinely pleased at the sunset, then reverts to his former mood) Only God can piss in such straight lines through the clouds!
WOYZECK goes purposively towards the MAN. There is a pistol on the table. WOYZECK picks it up, looks at it, puts it down again.
WOYZECK:
It’s too dear.
MAN:
D’you want it or don’t you?
WOYZECK:
I haven’t enough money. What else have you got?
MAN:
Ironic, it is, supplying weapons to the armed forces: How about this then?
MAN produces a knife, puts pistol away.
MAN:
Much quieter, of course. . . .
WOYZECK balances the knife, feels its edge, point.
MAN:
It’ll cut more than bread, that. Cut your throat easy enough, if that’s what you want it for.
WOYZECK comes to a decision, throws down coins on table. The MAN looks at them, at WOYZECK.
WOYZECK:
It’s all I have.
The MAN accepts by picking them up. Exit WOYZECK, concealing the knife. The MAN looks again at the coins, clinks them in his hand.
MAN:
So I’m that much nearer becoming an armaments king!
BLACKOUT
SCENE EIGHTEEN
Marie’s room. The baby is being put to bed.
MARIE:
(sadly) Here’s your very first story, then. There was once a little child — a poor little girl, like Mummy was once, if you like, or a little boy like you are. But this little child had no father and no mother: they were both dead. And everyone else in the world was dead, too. But all day long the child looked for someone else, he still tried to find someone. When he was finally sure that there was no-one on earth, he looked up at the moon and thought it seemed very friendly: so up he went to the moon. How disappointed he was when he arrived! You know why? The moon was made of wormeaten wood, all soft and crumbling away! So he went to the sun. . . . .
WOYZECK enters silently, without MARIE noticing.
MARIE:
. . .and yet again he did not find what he had hoped for! The sun was just an old, faded sunflower, a husk after the seeds had dropped out! And when the poor little child came to the stars he saw they were only like insects stuck on blackthorn spikes by a butcherbird. (pause) So the little child turned back towards the earth and saw. . . .That it was empty, no more than a goldfish bowl upside down. . . .Nothing! (Pause) And the child saw that he was
always to be quite alone, and he sat down, and he cried. And he’s still there, crying, crying. . . . . . . . .quite alone. . . . . . .(Pause)
WOYZECK:
Marie!
MARIE turns.
WOYZECK:
We have to go!
MARIE:
Why?
WOYZECK:
It’s time.
MARIE:
Where?
WOYZECK:
How should I know?
Neither of them moves.
BLACKOUT
SCENE NINETEEN
A pond by the edge of a wood: establish either by placard or by lighting effect — low water rippling very slightly to one side of stage for WOYZECK to wade into.
Enter WOYZECK, with MARIE.
MARIE:
But home’s in that direction! And it’s nearly dark!
WOYZECK:
You’ve time enough yet. Why don’t you sit down?
MARIE:
I’m going!
WOYZECK prevents her, throws her down roughly.
WOYZECK:
Rest your feet! You must be tired.
MARIE:
(cries) What’s got into you? You never used to be like this.
WOYZECK:
(slowly) Neither did you! (pause) Can you remember how long it’s been, Marie?
MARIE:
(Very slowly) Two years. . . .nearly. . . .
WOYZECK:
Two years next month. (pause) And how much longer do you think it’s going to be?
MARIE:
I must go back to feed the baby. (WOYZECK still restrains her) Franz, I’m cold!
WOYZECK:
Cold are you, Marie! You, the hot whore, cold! That’s not what I was told — “She’s red-hot in bed!” they said he said, he boasted to them! Cold! (tries to kiss her. Pause, then desperately:) Christ! Why can’t things be as they were, why can’t things be still! Still!
Pause. MARIE tries to edge away, but WOYZECK is quick to notice.
MARIE:
Soon the dew will be. . . .
WOYZECK:
I don’t think you’ll feel the dew! If you’re cold already you won’t feel the cold. . . .
MARIE:
What do you mean?
WOYZECK:
What do I mean? (pause) Nothing (pause)
MARIE tries to distract his attention and make a run for it.
MARIE:
The moon’s up. . .and it’s red. . . .
WOYZECK anticipates her move, seizes her, takes out his knife, and stabs her again and again.
MARIE:
Oh, Franz, no, help, aaah, it’s not, etc. . . . .
WOYZECK steps, gets up, still holding knife, MARIE still moves.
WOYZECK:
Are-you-not-dead-yet? Are-you-not-dead! Dead!
As he says the above, WOYZECK stabs to each word. MARIE is still then.
WOYZECK:
Dead, dead. (pause) Marie? So pale? (pause) Those red earrings (pause) Red. (pause) Your hair not. . . . (pause) Marie. . . .
WOYZECK rises very slowly, stares at the knife, MARIE, the blood.
Then, infinitely slowly, he begins to move away from the body towards the water, which he enters without appearing to notice; though his gait goes from walking to wading. He begins to go round in circles, and continues to do so for the rest of this scene until shown.
All the following to end of scene are off-stage voices.
1ST VOICE:
(Off) Hear that?
2ND VOICE:
(Off) What?
1ST VOICE:
Listen!
2ND VOICE:
It’s the water lapping. . .
1ST VOICE:
Long while since anyone drowned here. . . .
2ND VOICE:
It’s just the water, lapping. Let’s not bother. . . .
1ST VOICE:
Who’s bothering?
(Pause. Children’s voices, playing, distant, then closer)
1ST CHILD:
Where’s Marie?
2ND CHILD:
Don’t know.
3RD CHILD:
Come and play!
1ST CHILD:
Let’s look for Marie
3RD CHILD:
No, let’s play!
2ND CHILD:
I’d like Marie to tell us a story. . .
1ST CHILD:
Let’s look for her, then.
3RD CHILD:
All right, let’s go and find Marie.
Long pause. WOYZECK is still wading round in circles, but farther and farther towards the back of the stage: so that he can disappear when necessary to get blood off his hands for next scene: WOYZECK goes: the water disappears slowly during the next few lines, leaving the end of the scene in darkness.
POLICE CHIEF:
In all my years in the force, I don’t think we’ve had a juicier murder than this one. Oh, yes it’s been a very long time since we had a good, oldfashioned murder like this. It’s all a man could wish for. . . .
Pause.
CO:
(off) He’ll be tried by the military, of course.
POLICE CHIEF:
(off) No! The woman was a civilian!
CO:
You can’t try her, can you? Woyzeck will be tried by Court Martial.
POLICE CHIEF:
At the Assizes!
CO:
I shall preside myself.
POLICE CHIEF:
Judge Stein won’t give up the chance to try a beautiful murder like this!
CO:
Balls!
End of scene.
SCENE TWENTY
The CO sitting high, as though a judge presiding. WOYZECK in a desk, guarded by two soldiers. Other officials of the court as available: but these are not strictly necessary.
CO:
You must explain to us, Private Woyzeck. . . .
WOYZECK:
I do not have to explain to you.
CO:
. . .so that we may understand. We are concerned to understand, Private Woyzeck.
WOYZECK:
I am not concerned that you should understand! It is nothing to me that you understand. (pause) I do not understand myself.
CO:
Let us go through the business slowly. . . .
WOYZECK:
Hasn’t the Army finished taking from me yet? I am busy about my dying. You even take that from me with your ridiculous “understanding”.
CO:
You were co-habiting with the woman Meissner, Private Woyzeck, until recently. . . .
WOYZECK:
What will you understand even if you discover reasons? What are the reasons! Actions are the only things that matter, don’t you see? I killed her, whether there are reasons or not!
CO:
You admit you killed Marie Meissner?
The CO makes a note.
WOYZECK:
Of course! Didn’t I just say so?
Long pause.
CO:
Any normal soldier would have gone out and found himself another woman. . . .
WOYZECK:
Let me be mad, then, sir, let me be considered mad!
CO:
Or tried to win her back. Or at least have thrashed the bastard who’d cuckolded him!
WOYZECK:
I tried to, sir, though not with very much. . . conviction. (pause) What we had was. . .what we both had. . .When she went, it all went. . . there just wasn’t anything else. . .nothing matters. . . . when love fails, all fails.
CO:
Not true!
WOYZECK:
It’s true for me! Damn what’s true for you! (pause) I have all rights, and no rights. I have a right to destroy the thing itself, the thing that was love, to kill physically what is already really dead. . . .I have what I call that right, though you may call it just having the power to kill. . . .as you have the power to kill me. . . .or the power to leave me to choose to kill myse
lf.
CO:
What if everyone thought as you do — or acted as you did!
WOYZECK:
I can’t answer that. I can only answer for myself. I don’t care if anyone or no-one does as I have done. And who are you to demand duty from me now!
WOYZECK laughs: loudly but unhumorously. Long pause.
CO:
You leave me with no alternative. . . .
WOYZECK:
(violently) I don’t want there to be an alternative!
BLACKOUT
Following voices offstage to cover scene shift.
CHAPLAIN:
(off) If you truly repent of your crime. . . .
WOYZECK:
Well Done God! Page 19