ACT I

SCENE I

Wozzeck is working for the Captain to earn extra money to supplement his wages. The Captain tells Wozzeck that he is a good man, but that he lacks morality because he has an illegitimate child. Wozzeck says that virtue is a luxury not meant for the poor. The Captain, confused and disturbed by Wozzeck’s response, dismisses him.

SCENE 2

Wozzeck and another soldier, Andres, are cutting wood in open countryside. Wozzeck is distracted and unsettled by apocalyptic visions, and the rays of the setting sun cause him to imagine the world in flames. Darkness falls.

SCENE 3

Marie, Wozzeck’s partner, is watching a military parade with their son. When the Drum Major appears, her neighbour Margret mocks her for catching his eye.  When Marie is alone again, she sings a lullaby to her child. Wozzeck arrives and describes his visions. Marie tries to persuade him to stay, but he leaves for the barracks. Marie is left considering her unbearable life. 

SCENE 4

Wozzeck visits the Doctor who, for a small sum of money, is using him to test his dietary theories and has put him on a diet of beans. The Doctor reprimands Wozzeck for pissing in the street. When Wozzeck describes his visions, the Doctor believes he is displaying signs of a mental aberration. He resolves to make him the basis of further experimentation, which he believes will bring him fame and immortality.

SCENE 5

In the street outside her apartment, the Drum Major flirts with Marie. He attempts to seduce her, which she resists at first, until eventually giving in.

ACT II

SCENE 1

Marie is admiring the earrings she has received from the Drum Major. Suddenly aware of Wozzeck’s presence, she tries to hide the earrings, and then tells Wozzeck she found them in the street. Wozzeck is suspicious. He gives Marie his wages and leaves.

SCENE 2

The Doctor and Captain meet in the street. The Doctor, remarking on the Captain’s poor physical condition, speculates on the likelihood of the Captain having a stroke in the immediate future. Wozzeck enters and the Captain and Doctor taunt him with vicious comments about Marie’s affair with the Drum Major.

SCENE 3

Wozzeck confronts Marie with his suspicions of her infidelity, and tries to force her to confess. He attempts to strike her, but Marie resists and tells him she’d rather have a knife in her belly than his hand on her.

SCENE 4

A low tavern. Marie and the Drum Major arrive and begin to dance. Wozzeck sits alone, becoming more and more desolate as he watches them. A Fool approaches Wozzeck and tells him that he smells blood.

SCENE 5

In the barracks, Wozzeck is unable to sleep. He can’t rid himself of the sound of the music at the tavern, and the sight of the Drum Major dancing with Marie. The Drum Major enters, very drunk and boasting about his recent sexual conquest. When Wozzeck whistles in his face, the Drum Major beats him up.

ACT III

SCENE 1

Alone with her child, Marie reads passages from the Bible about women forgiven for the sin of adultery. She begs God for mercy.

SCENE 2

It is night, and Marie and Wozzeck are walking alone together near the pond. Marie wants to return home but Wozzeck insists she sit with him, and begins to talk about their relationship. When a blood red moon rises over the pond, Wozzeck sees it as a sign, produces a knife and stabs Marie.

SCENE 3

Wozzeck bursts into a tavern, dancing and singing wildly. Margret notices the blood on his hand and elbow. Wozzeck is unable to explain where it comes from, and rushes away.

SCENE 4

Wozzeck returns to the pond to look for the knife. He finds it and throws it into the water. The moon breaks through the clouds and Wozzeck fears it will reveal his crime. He wades into the pond to hide the knife further and wash the blood off his hands. The Doctor and the Captain pass by and hear the sounds of a man drowning.

SCENE 5

A group of children tell Marie’s son that his mother is dead.