Thus Spake Zarathustra is a treatise by Friedrich Nietzsche, written in four parts and published in German between 1883 and 1885. The work is among the first of Nietzsche’s mature philosophy and is considered the masterpiece of his career. It received little attention during his lifetime, but its influence since his death has been considerable both in the arts and in philosophy.
Written in the form of prose narrative, Thus Spake Zarathustra presents Neitzsche's mature philosopy through the protagonist Zarathustra, who after years of meditation has come down from a mountain to offer his wisdom to the world. It is this work in which Nietzsche made his famous (and much misconstrued) statement that “God is dead” and in which he presented some of the most influential and well-known ideas of his philosophy, including those of the Übermensch (“superman”) and the “will to power.”
Part of the bestselling Capstone Classics series, This high-quality, hardcover volume is a must-have for readers interested in the philosophy of Nietzsche.
Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher, essayist, and critic whose writings on truth, morality, culture, history, power, and consciousness have made him one of the most remarkable thinkers in Western philosophy.
Dr. Dirk R. Johnson is Elliott Professor of Modern Languages at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. He is a leading Nietzsche scholar and the author of Nietzsche’s Anti-Darwinism. Dr Johnson has a Masters in political science, philosophy, and German from the University of Bonn, and a Ph.D. in German Studies from Indiana University.
Tom Butler-Bowdon is series editor of the Capstone Classics series and has written introductions for Plato’s Republic, Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, Machiavelli’s The Prince, and Marx’ & Engels’ The Communist Manifesto. A graduate of the London School of Economics, he is also the author of 50 Philosophy Classics, 50 Politics Classics, and 50 Psychology Classics
PART ONE
Zarathustra’s Prologue 3
Zarathustra’s Discourses 29
The Three Metamorphoses 30
The Academic Chairs of Virtue 34
Backworldsmen 39
The Despisers of the Body 44
Joys and Passions 47
The Pale Criminal 50
Reading and Writing 54
The Tree on the Hill 57
The Preachers of Death 62
War and Warriors 65
The New Idol 68
The Flies in the Market-Place 73
Chastity 78
The Friend 81
The Thousand and One Goals 85
Neighbor-Love 89
The Way of the Creating One 92
Old and Young Women 97
The Bite of the Adder 101
Children and Marriage 104
Voluntary Death 108
The Bestowing Virtue 113
PART TWO
The Child with the Mirror 123
In the Happy Isles 128
The Compassionate 133
The Priests 138
The Virtuous 143
The Rabble 148
The Tarantulas 153
The Famous Wise Ones 158
The Night-Song 163
The Dance-Song 167
The Grave-Song 172
Self-Surpassing 177
The Sublime Ones 183
The Land of Culture 187
Immaculate Perception 192
Scholars 197
Poets 201
Great Events 207
The Soothsayer 213
Redemption 219
Manly Prudence 227
The Stillest Hour 232
PART THREE
The Wanderer 239
The Vision and the Enigma 244
Involuntary Bliss 252
Before Sunrise 258
The Bedwarfing Virtue 263
On the Olive-Mount 272
On Passing-By 277
The Apostates 282
The Return Home 289
The Three Evil Things 295
The Spirit of Gravity 303
Old and New Tables 310
The Convalescent 341
The Great Longing 352
The Second Dance-Song 357
The Seven Seals (Or The Song of Yes and Amen) 363
PART FOUR
The Honey Sacrifice 371
The Cry of Distress 377
Talk with the Kings 382
The Leech 389
The Magician 394
Out of Service 404
The Ugliest Man 411
The Voluntary Beggar 419
The Shadow 426
Noontide 432
The Greeting 437
The Supper 446
The Higher Man 449
The Song of Melancholy 465
Science 471
Among Daughters of the Desert 476
The Deserts Grow: Woe Him Who Does Them Hide! 478
The Awakening 484
The Ass-Festival 490
The Drunken Song 496
The Sign 508
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