Woyzeck - Wozzeck

If we're talking about the precursors of Expressionism in literature, we definitely should mention Buchner's 'Woyzeck'. This proto-Expressionist play can be defined in a single word: tragedy. The poor Woyzeck has nothing but his wife to keep him alive. He's despised and criticized the whole story (he's even the lab rat experiment of a doctor!), he has no money,  neither a great job, and his 'unblessed' doesn't provide him any happiness either. Woyzeck has the shittiest life in the world, but at least he had his beautiful wife Marie. So, when he finds out she's been rather unfaithful with him, his whole world turns down... inside his mind he gets crazy, insane and desperate until he finds a solution for his suffering. However, his resolution didn't gave him any peace, and thus he decides to commit suicide in a 'purifying' way. During the whole play, we just read the despair and misery of Woyzeck... there's nothing but emotions here.

The opera Wozzeck keeps quite loyal to the original play (although the ending isn't specifically the same). Berg's mise en scène is, in my opinion, really successful. The actors and sopranos that play each one of the characters effectively portrayed the figures and personalities that we can read in Buchner's 'Woyzeck'. Moreover, I think that the backgrounds used during all the scenes just fit perfectly with what we, the readers, can imagine while reading the original play. Hats off to both Buchner and Berg.

Werner Herzog a version of his own if this tragedy as a film, but I haven't been able to watch it. Hope I do it soon.