Woyzeck, dramatic fragment by Georg Büchner, written between 1835 and 1837; it was discovered and published posthumously in 1879 as Wozzek and first performed in 1913.

Why did Buchner write Woyzeck?

Büchner based Woyzeck on an account of an actual murder case in which a soldier killed his mistress in a jealous frenzy and was subsequently the object of medical controversy regarding his sanity.

Is Woyzeck based on a true story?

It is loosely based on the true story of Johann Christian Woyzeck, a Leipzig wigmaker who later became a soldier. In 1821, Woyzeck, in a fit of jealousy, murdered Christiane Woost, a widow with whom he had been living; he was later publicly beheaded.