Charlotte Purkis on Nietzsche and Modernity - studio discussion

A studio discussion on Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra in connection with modern world of art and journalism. Charlotte Purkis, Chair, Faculty Quality Committee and lecturer in Drama, Department of Performing Arts at the University of Winchester joined by Chris Horrie, the director for Journalism Course explore Nietzsche's influences on modern world.

Charlotte Purkis on Nietzsche and Modernity PODCAST in here

Also, related link Professor Aaron Ridley from Southampton Uni speaking on Nietzsche (author of several relevant books)

The University of Winchester Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism, part IV

The last trip in search for Higher Man - Part 4, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

He is hesitant if he is truly happy, after speaking to animals, despite his age, he decides to go to high mountains again. He thought that animals would follow him in his mountain climbing but they stopped walking somewhere on the way, Zarathustra was once again on his own. Here starts his stream of thought, contemplation.

After he is back from the mountain he sits at the table with a Gloomy Prophet (Schopenhauer). The Prophet tells him that he has not that much time left “for his boat to sit in the dry (…), waves of great distress and affliction: soon they will lift your boat too, and carry you away”. It is the Prophet’s way of teasing Zarathustra to “Pity”, the sin he dramatically wanted to avoid. Zarathustra becomes curious and asks who is after him, the Prophet says that it is the Higher Man “that cries after him”. Eventually, Zarathustra’s response to that is “you yourself shall dance to my songs as my dancing bear (…) I too- am a prophet!”

In the following chapter Zarathustra meets the Higher Men, two Kings (any Kings or reference to Biblical three Kings looking for baby Jesus from Nazareth, to confirm the birth of the new King of Nazareth, Jesus Christ). They say that they were looking for a Higher Man, as they were told that they must hear “him, who teaches.”

Zarathustra decides to go out to the world and find the Higher Man for them and tells them to wait for him in his cave as long as it takes for him to find one.

On his way he gets bitten by a dog and has to lie down beside the swamp for the leeches to clear his blood. Then he speaks to the Conscious Man Of Spirits (probably Darwin, or any other scientist).

Further on, during his journey he meets a last Pope (imaginary character), who he speak to about Jesus’ death, he says that “pity chocked” Jesus, that he saw how man hanged on the cross and could not endure it that love for man became his “Hell and at least his death?” The Pope tries to defend Jesus’ name as a Son of God saying that he was a “hidden God, full of secrecy”. They then go onto exploring why Zarathustra has lost his faith.

Zarathustra has a new name 'The God’s killer', and the 'peace breaker'. Other characters he meets on his way are the Sorcerer who represents Wagner; the meeting shows a parody of his later poetry manner. The Shadow, who Zarathustra has conversations with, represents a free thinker. And the Voluntary Beggar is likely to be either Buddha or Tolstoy.

Eventually, Zarathustra discovers that he does not need to look for a Higher Man as he is one himself. He goes back to the cave to announce to the Kings that he is the one. They take him as the Higher Man and all together with the Prophet have a meal (reference to the Last Sapper of Jesus Christ before he was crucified). There is no bread, on Jesus’ last supper the bread was very significant, it symbolised Christ’s body that he wanted to sacrifice. He shared the bread among the disciples and said 'take it and eat it, this is my body' (Bible). Bread became a symbol of unity and became a base to traditions in Christian Church. Zarathustra clearly stated there is no bread but there is lamb instead and that is what they will eat. While eating the meal, Zarathustra and his guests spoke only of Higher Man.

The narrative in this part is set in time; author speaks of Zarathustra growing old with white hair. It starts of Zarathustra being sat before this cave “gazing silently out”. Now when the Kings and the Prophet believe that Zarathustra is the Higher Man they will have to convince others on the “Market Square” to believe in it too.

“God has died: now we desire – that superman shall live.”

When Zarathustra meets the Lion, his prophesy is filled, he is certain of his destiny as he has seen the signal.

“Very well! The lion has come, my children are here, Zarathustra has become ripe, my hour has come!”

The University of Winchester Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism, Part IV,
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 4

Zarathustra the Godless - Part 3, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

The style of Part 3 of Thus Spoke Zarathustra is not only prose but also poems. It shows introspective, cheerful and calm mood; halfway between melancholy of part 2 and Dionysian ecstasy of part 3.

This part contains the Climax of the book, "the exhibition of the sustained intellectual passion which gives Nietzsche his place among the world’s great men". Eternity is external recurrence, and the child the main character, Zarathustra wants to have by “eternity” is himself. Once Zarathustra reaches end of his self-education, the fulfilment is celebrated with trilogy of poems.

“It is returning, at last it is coming home to me-my own Self and those parts of it that have long been abroad (…)”

Zarathustra is climbing the high mountain and speaking to his heart, he is trying to find the summit (solitude). He is ready to reach deeper down to “blackest stream, as that is his destiny”.

Then he speaks of his vision of the solitary man and that he discovered the Spirit of Gravity, “his Devil archenemy”. Nietzsche describes Zarathustra’s fear of falling, failing his quest as once he thrown himself high to discover truths and to overcome himself (overcome the logic) he must be destined to fall.

Hymn to solitude in a model revaluation of three voices (once he is back in cave), exhortation to cheerfulness. “But a man of my sort does not avoid such an hour: the hour that says to him: ‘Only now do you tread your path of greatness! Summit and abyss – they are now united in one!”

The scene with the shepherd with a snake in his mouth could symbolise that once Zarathustra shares certain theories with others there is no taking back of his words. Even though shepherd managed to bit snake’s head of he was “no longer shepherd, no longer a man – a transformed being, surrounded with laughing!” This quote also corresponds to how Zarathustra’s (“God’s Killer”) teaching attracts people, and he becomes a Higher Man in their eyes.

An inner dialogue is taking over the main character while he is travelling through the sea, he is thinking about what has to be overcome to seal his perfection. He realises that there is still a long way to go.

The next morning he concluded that the happiness runs after him, and that was because he did not run after women, “happiness, however,” he says, “is a woman”.

Chapter 'Before sunrise' is written in a very poetic style, it is a melancholic and quite a romantic (poetic descriptions of the nature), Zarathustra is lonely; beauty of nature reminds him of a woman who he is far away from (perhaps reference to Nietzsche missing the love of his life).

When Zarathustra came back to land, he went among people to learn what had happened while he had been away. People became ‘small’, and all they want is that nobody does them harm. He sees that as “cowardice” and they call it a virtue. There is not enough fight in them and too much calm, they are “modest and tame”, what makes them a “man’s best domestic animal.”

He feels that his time has not come yet and there is no one else thinking the way he does, people still don’t understand him but on the other hand, “of what consequence is a time that has no time for Zarathustra.”

‘On the mouth of Olives’ is another poetic monologue, slowing the action down. The chapter ‘Of Passing By’ is quite a visual and dramatic chapter. Discovers here that there are things that will not change, people that don’t want to progress and they are only to be passed by. In chapter ‘Of the Apostates’, he notices that people who he used to know have settled and turned into “stay-at-home” ones. ‘The Home Coming’ describes thoughts of solitude again; Zarathustra learns that loneliness and solitude are two different things. He summarises all the lessons he have learnt throughout the journey. “And especially that ‘he who wants to understand all things amongst men has to touch all things.” (Empiricism) When people misunderstood him, he shouldn’t have indulged them more than he did himself.

Zarathustra speaks of humans that “they crucify him who writes new values on new law tables, they sacrifice the future to themselves- they crucify the whole human future!”

To overcome humans- he has to overcome himself but, he shouldn’t expect from others what he expects from himself as not everyone is as strong as he is. And to overcome human’s logic is the way to become a worlds-man (Darwin- evolution). Becoming a superman is not the end of the evolution; Zarathustra says “There it was too that I picked up the word ‘Superman’ and that man is something that must be overcome, that man is a bridge and not a goal”.

“The good – have always been the beginning of the end”.

The stream of his thought finishes on a song of “Yes and Amen, love to eternity”.

The University of Winchester Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism, Part IV,
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 3

Zatrathustra The Enlightened One - Part 2, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

“Thus spoke the Devil to me once: ‘Even God has his Hell: it is his love for men.’
And I lately heard him say these words: God is dead; God has died of his pity for man.”
Zarathustra is changing, he considers himself as an enlightened now. He criticises contemporary culture. He speaks of organised religion and priesthood, priests are to him hypocrites, “they called God that which contradicted and harmed them: and truly, there was much that was heroic in their worship! And they knew no other way of loving their God than by nailing men to the Cross” (Jesus Christ Crucifixion).

Wisdom is crucial and Zarathustra is fond of it because “she” reminds him of life. The author is quite likely to be describing the woman he loved, the love of his life. She must have been very wise and precious to him as he speaks of feeling alive when being with her.

He says, “I am fond of Wisdom, and often too fond, is because she very much reminds me of life! She has her eyes, her laughter (…): how can I help it that they both look so alike?”

He says that poets are liars, and their answer for Zarathustra’s accusation is, “we know too little and are bad learners: so we have to lie.”

Further on, Zarathustra says that life should overcome virtues like “Good and evil, and rich and poor, and noble men and all the names of the virtues (…) “.

Free will is essential in his beliefs and takes him beyond the death, “yes, you are still my destroyer of all graves: Hail, my Will: And only where there are graves are there resurrections.” (Elements of Buddhism)

Self overcoming is self-mastering, putting a self discipline and believing that it is good to challenge human’s logic. The will to existence is “not true”; “there is only will to power”. Having will to power, starts a change, change brings progress and progress leads to evolution. Zarathustra speaks of enlightened men whose “will to power” walks the feet of their “will to truth”. Will to existence is not enough. For it to be life there has to be will to power, man has to want to have power over himself and that is what keeps his existence.

Good and evil are not definite; they change as they too have to “overcome themselves”. And “he who has to be a creator in good and evil, truly, has first to be a destroyer (…)”, revolutionary human, brave enough to stop believing in what is set to be believed in.

The University of Winchester Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism, Part IV,
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 2

Nietzsche about men and women - Part 1, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

“She knows only love, but tell me, you men, which of you is capable of friendship?’

Zarathustra, the main character in Nietzsche’s book believes that women are incapable of friendship. He doubts in human’s purity of intentions and ability to create a pure and truthful relationship with other people.

Speaking of women, Zarathustra does not value them in high purpose for humanity, he simply says that “everything about woman is riddle, and everything about woman has one solution: it is called pregnancy.”

Picturing a woman in man’s eyes he says that “the true man wants too things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous playing.” Negative experiences from Nietzsche’s life, as he had not much luck with love of his life and his intentions of marriage were unsuccessful.

Broken heart of the author dictated a lot of cold and shallow views on women. Zarathustra says that “man should be trained for war and woman for the recreation of the warrior: all else is folly.”

Zarathustra is representing stereotypical views on family structure and relations between men and women. “Woman understands children better than a man; but man is more childlike than woman.”

He also speaks of man’s ego: “The man’s happiness is: I will. The woman’s happiness is: He will.” Even though author tries to compare men and women equally and accurately, he admits that he knows not enough about women. Author reveals it by bringing another character to the conversation, an old woman, who is listening to Zarathustra and making him realise that he does not know all about women.

When speaking of men and women, the main character seeks new values and creation of good and evil. He says that “ truly, men have given themselves all their good and evil (…), they did not take it (…), it did not descend to them as a voice from heaven. Man first implanted values into things to maintain himself- he created the meaning of things, a human meaning!”

The University of Winchester Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism, Part IV,
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra , Part 1

Who was “The Dead Dog” for Zarathustra- Part 1

After Zarathustra spoke to the Dying Man (Jesus), he had to leave the town as people started to hate him, he was carrying a “dead dog”. I believe the dead dog is in the book a memory after the Dying Man, the memory of Jesus that is in Nietzsche's mind. Nietzsche kept the message and lessons that he got from Christ’s life; he was still full of faith that Jesus' message was truth, even though he was only a human.

Zarathustra’s companion (Jesus) is dead but he kept a memory, of him. Zarathustra realized that it was not about the “dead body” he was carrying, he says that he needs life companions not dead ones now, meaning, that after Jesus died his message should be applied to other people.

“Zarathustra shall not speak to the people but to companions”, equality in humans and mutual love and trust, then he says: “Zarathustra shall not be hands-man and dog to the hand!”, it is not about the power over other people or manipulation but equality.

Zarathustra is against hierarchies in churches, he says, “Behold the faithful of all faiths! Whom do they hate the most? Him who smashes their tables of values, the breaker, the law-breaker- but he is the creator.” In Nietzsche’s new belief the hierarchy of Christian Church does not matter, hierocratic structure of the church is not necessary. It was undermining the power and prestige of the Church, as an institution. As you can imagine the Church could not approve of this theory.

Zarathustra calls himself a creator of a new philosophy that seriously threats the power and position of the Church. He also decided to find people who would join him and spread the truth.

He says that “man is something that must be overcome: and for that reason you must love your virtues-for you will perish by them.” He speaks of himself as an enlightened. In the scene with a tree, he discovers that there is no point in being an inventor of a new truth if there is no one to share it with. And so he decided to do.


TBC in ‘Nietzsche about men and women in Thus Spoke Zarathustra’ post

The University of Winchester Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism, Part IV,
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 1