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Additionally, the Captain, a grotesque authority figure, habitually criticizes Woyzeck for his misgivings. The Captain tells Woyceck he has no morality or virtue, further diminishing the soldier’s vulnerable self-esteem. His Captain, a man demanding considerable respect, should encourage his soldier by instilling in him a sense of self-worth and purpose, but instead debases Woyzeck and fuels his already blazing and confused mind. During a seemingly routine conversation wherein Woyzeck shaves the Captain’s face, the Captain insists that Woyzeck thinks “too much” and that this sort of over-analysis is “unhealthy” (535). Also, the Captain additionally acts as an instrument in advancing Woyzeck’s thoughts of Marie’s imprudence. Using the metaphor of finding a hair in a soup bowl as a comparison for discovering a stranger in the bed of the woman Woyzeck loves, the Captain fertilizes the already present suspicions of Marie’s infidelity. This should-be respectable man pushes his vulnerable soldier to his breaking point. Henry Schmidt suggests that the Captain maliciously entices Woyzeck’s imagination in hopes of torturing and incapacitating his inferior (86). Undoubtedly embarrassed by the Captain’s knowledge of his failed relationship, Woyzeck runs off, vowing he will have “to think about” the Captain’s comments (537). Woyzeck brings pain upon himself by constantly examining the disappointment in his life. The disappointment is likewise reiterated by the comments of individuals with which Woyzeck has constant contact. Woyzeck’s relationship with his captain, supposed to be comprised of respect and camaraderie, fails to satisfy the typical formula of a superior/inferior relationship and acts to further deteriorate the susceptible young man’s mental state, pushing him one step closer to murderous madness.
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