Georg Büchner, an anomaly in his own century, is frequently viewed as a percursor of Expressionism. With this fact in mind it is the purpose of this thesis to investigate and compare Büchner's Woyzeck and the expressionistic drama Hinkemann by Ernst Toller, noting the same basic theme which, however, gives rise to dissimular solutions. The method of investigating these analogous dramas was essentially one of research into and interpretation of the primary sources. Secondary sources (which were numerous for Büchner but scarce for Toller) were consulted as an aid in the exposition of Woyzeck and Hinkemann as separate plays. There was, however, practically no secondary material available relating directly to the problem under discussion in this work. The conclusions reached were based on private examination of the two dramas. Woyzeck is a poor soldier of the 19th century. Out of love for his "wife" he allows himself to be used as subject for a doctor's scientific experiments. Despite Woyzeck's care and passionate love for her, Marie succumbs to the desires of the sensual drum major. Thus Woyzeck not only experiences physical abuse, but also mental anguish as a result of Marie's infidelity. Through this lonely, senseless suffering his values are put into question. Woyzeck despairs of life and expresses his total rejection of the world by murdering Marie and then by drowning himself. Hinkemann, also a common soldier, returns home from the First World War emasculated by a bullet. Fearing the loss of his wife's love and respect, he too stoops to the level of an animal to compensate for his sexual incapacity. Desiring to provide her a few pleasures, Hinkemann hires himself out to a showman who utilises him in a repulsive circus act. However, his sensual wife, like Marie, also proves unfaithful. Her seducer, Grosshahn, causes Hinkemann's prime suffering by causing him to believe that Grete laughed at him in his debased condition. Although finally convinced that she did not laugh, Hinkemann, like his counterpart Woyzeck, fails to see any good purpose in the world and gives up. He no longer has the strength to struggle and asks his wife to leave him. But Grete, afraid to live alone, commits suicide. Hinkemann goes on existing. Thus the basic pattern is the same in both: Woyzeck and Hinkemann, two soldiers in the prime of life, allow themselves to be misused for the sake of a woman's love. Both lose this love which alone gives, their life meaning. Forced into total isolation by an evil and loveless world, both Woyzeck and Hinkemann no longer see any purpose in life, but the reaction of each is different. Woyzeck reacts violently to this discovery of the lack of good purpose in the universe. Out of vengeance he wants to hurt the world that has hurt him. He ends in complete, active nihilism. Hinkemann, a man weakened by fate, reacts less violently: he comes to a passive acceptance of meaninglessness in the world. For him, struggle is in vain. Thus there is a difference in solution, resulting from an important distinction which lies at the core of these plays. Büchner here deals with one basic theme: isolation ultimately leading to nihilism. Toller, in addition, deals with the problem of the complete man. The loss of either the animal or the spiritual aspect of man's nature renders him ridiculous. And for Toller, it is this ridicule which isolates man. Thus his play is more complex, it has ramifications of the problem which Büchner does not explore. Also contributing to the dissimilar solutions are the authors' different views of life. Woyzeck's nihilistic end is entirely in consonance with Büchner's fatalistic and utterly hopeless view of life. Similarly, Hinkemann's pessimistic resignation corresponds to Toller's poignant disillusionment (but not complete despair) with mankind. / Arts, Faculty of / Central Eastern Northern European Studies, Department of / Graduate

Le laboratoire Woyzeck propose une approche de l'oeuvre de Büchner en trois temps, ordonnée autour de la métaphore anatomique. L'écriture de Woyzeck prend la forme d'une autopsie, indissociable des travaux scientifiques de Büchner réalisés à la même période. Le premier chapitre évoque ce geste d'écriture incisif et sa réception. Un état des recherches permet de considérer les analyses philologiques et herméneutiques de l'oeuvre qui font aujourd'hui autorité. Sont ici rappelés les lieux communs de la critique et les interprétations marquantes de la pièce. Si leur validité est ensuite interrogée, leur valeur symptomatique est aussi prise en compte sur un autre plan. Le deuxième chapitre prend la forme d'un essai portant sur les personnages et les corps, objets de l'autopsie. Il explore autrement des hypothèses formulées dans le premier chapitre autour du langage et du fragment. Le lieu de cette autopsie, la scène, est abordé dans le troisième chapitre à travers les mises à l'épreuve scéniques. Les trois spectacles choisis adoptent des partis pris dramaturgiques distincts. Celui de Thomas Ostermeier se présente comme un atelier social; « le cirque des travailleurs » d'Àrpàd Schilling est une machine à jouer qui semble relever le pari du théâtre de la cruauté artaudien; Robert Wilson travaille de pair avec Tom Waits pour créer un spectacle musical qui fait figure de conte populaire universel et autoréférentiel. Parmi les enjeux de ces mises à l'épreuve figurent notamment le rapport au réel et au présent, ainsi que le regard porté sur les corps que le texte de Georg Büchner invite à questionner. Dans un esprit d'ouverture et de confluence, en adéquation avec les travaux de Büchner, cette réflexion puise autant dans des notions d'analyse théâtrale que dans l'esthétique et l'histoire de la médecine. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Woyzeck, Regard, Fragment, Mise en scène.

This master thesis of scenography is a study on the play Woyzeck written in 1836 by the German author Georg Büchner. My intention is to examine how the engaging story of a drama written in the 19th century, set into a military background, can be reinterpreted today in our society. The aim of my researches is the elaboration of a contemporary mise en scène of the play set into an ideological factory as the ideal scenario for the developing of the dramatic situations of Woyzeck. My final scenography proposal for the drama is a site-specific project in the Prada Foundation of Milan; an ex-factory of an Italian distillery society, now turned in one of the main art centres of the city. I am starting the thesis with a research about the historical background of the play through a short biography of the author. In this part, I am aiming to explain how the social context, the relationship with his family and a few of actual events happened at the time of Büchner, have inspired him to write, perhaps, his greatest work. I continue by writing an analysis of the dramaturgical structure of the text, of the main themes and situations within the play and the characters. I am highlighting the themes of the play that in the 21th century are extremely contemporary. In parallel, I analyse how the characters behave in different dramatic situations and precisely I try to reveal their real way of being instead of what appear only on the surfaces. Moreover, I write about a few of the greatest reinterpretations of the play that supported my studies and researches. Here, I mainly focus on the directing and dramaturgical aspects of each production that enriched my vision of the play helping me to develop my final version. The last part of my thesis is about my own reinterpretation of Woyzeck. I am explaining which are the aspects and the themes of the play that I find still very connected with our society. I write about my creative process and about how exactly my research led to the final proposal of the comparison between the military system, of two centuries ago, and the factory system of today. Afterward, I take in exam a few of the artworks that encouraged over my personal reinterpretation of directing and dramaturgical aspects. I write about how elements from these artworks inspired me concretely for the realization of my final work. Finally, I explain in details the directing and dramaturgical choices for the disposition of the storyboard as the final result of my personal research.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1985 F56 / Master of Arts