Thus Spoke Zarathustra · Chapter
XVIII explained
Zarathustra warns his brethren about tables framed by weariness and slothfulness, describing a hero who lies down a span from his goal, too weary to continue.
What happens
Zarathustra warns his brethren about tables framed by weariness and slothfulness, describing a hero who lies down a span from his goal, too weary to continue. He urges them to let the hero rest until he awakens on his own, but to protect him from the 'cultured' vermin that feast on his sweat.
Themes in this chapter
Critique of Herd Morality
Zarathustra critiques the 'tables of weariness' and the 'cultured' vermin that feast on heroes, representing herd-like complacency and parasitic intellectualism.
Pity and Contempt
The hero's languishing evokes pity, but Zarathustra advises letting him rest rather than forcing him onward, showing a nuanced view of compassion.
Characters to notice
- Zarathustra
Addresses his brethren, warning against weariness and slothfulness, and instructing them to protect the weary hero.
- The Higher Men
Implied as the 'brethren' Zarathustra addresses, who are to guard the hero from the 'cultured' vermin.
Key passages
“O my brethren, there are tables which weariness framed, and tables which slothfulness framed, corrupt slothfulness: although they speak similarly, they want to be heard differently.”
My brothers, some moral codes are created by exhaustion and laziness, and though they sound alike, they must be understood differently.
Zarathustra distinguishes between values born of genuine fatigue and those born of corrupt idleness.
“Only, my brethren, see that ye scare the dogs away from him, the idle skulkers, and all the swarming vermin:— —All the swarming vermin of the 'cultured,' that—feast on the sweat of every hero!”
But my brothers, make sure to drive away the lazy dogs and the swarming parasites—the so-called cultured people who feed on the efforts of every hero.
Zarathustra warns against the parasitic nature of intellectual elites who exploit heroic struggles.