Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Rethinking Morality
The Superman and the Will to Power
Death of God and Christianity
Eternal Recurrence
Summary
Analysis
1. In the early morning, Zarathustra dreams that he weighs the world on a scale. By day, he decides to weigh “the three most evil things” on the scales. These things, which he believes have been unjustly condemned, are “sensual pleasure, lust for power, [and] selfishness.”
Zarathustra judges for himself those things that traditional morality has judged as most evil. Again, given that religion (particularly Christianity) has fallen out of favor in the modern era, Zarathustra is trying to create a new value system—one that isn’t limited to religious dogma or traditional moral standards.
Themes
2. Those who believe in the afterlife have condemned sensual pleasure as worldly. Zarathustra, however, sees it as innocent—in his estimation, it’s the future’s way of thanking the present. It is poison to the “withered” but fine wine to the “lion-willed.” Sensual pleasure symbolizes the highest happiness. Lust for power, similarly, should more properly be called “bestowing virtue.”
Zarathustra’s aim is to praise a healthy sense of sensual enjoyment—not necessarily to advocate for unrestrained indulgence. To him, the “withered” or mediocre person might not be able to enjoy sensual pleasure, but the superior person can (and should) without guilt. Likewise, in the superior person, lust for power is the desire for others to enjoy the benefits of one’s superiority.
Themes
Zarathustra’s teaching also praises a “sound, healthy selfishness that issues from a mighty soul”—the rejoicing of such a soul is called “virtue.” Cowardice, eagerness to please, excessive patience, and a servile nature are all disgusting to selfishness. “World-weary cowards” praise the supposedly “selfless,” but when the great noontide comes, Zarathustra’s judgment of selfishness will be vindicated.
The only way that “mighty souls” can fully experience their own greatness (and allow the wider world to benefit from it) is through freedom, which traditional morality attempts to restrain. So-called selflessness is repugnant to those who fully embrace life and exercise the will to power.
Themes
