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
After the shadow’s song, the cave is filled with revelry and laughter. Zarathustra withdraws from the cave, imagining that the men have sufficiently recovered from the spirit of melancholy. Even if they haven’t yet learned his laughter, the Spirit of Gravity is fading.
The Higher Men are not yet as advanced as Zarathustra believes—as soon becomes apparent, they use their newfound freedom poorly.
Themes
Suddenly, however, the cave falls silent, and there’s a smell of incense. Zarathustra looks inside and is astonished to see the Higher Men praying—they are kneeling before the kings’ donkey. The ugliest man recites an absurd litany praising the donkey’s burden-bearing, patience, and long ears. The donkey simply brays in response.
The moral of this humorous passage is that even Higher Men are susceptible to ridiculous beliefs. Belief in gods is so embedded in humanity that even superior people will find something to worship—and if they’re not vigilant, they’ll choose an absurd “god.”
Themes
