Woyzeck, left unfinished at Georg Büchner’s death in 1837 at the age of twenty-three, is one of the most remarkable dramatic works in the German language. Written in German, it depicts a poor soldier tormented by his superiors, betrayed by his wife, and driven to murder — a proto-Expressionist tragedy of social oppression, psychological breakdown, and existential despair that was almost a century ahead of its time.
Büchner’s fragmentary play anticipates Brecht, Beckett, and the entire Expressionist tradition. Alban Berg’s opera, based on the text, is among the great works of twentieth-century music. Download this free public-domain EPUB to read a play that changed everything.