Thus Spoke Zarathustra · Chapter
I explained
Zarathustra encounters two kings who are fleeing their false and corrupt courts in search of the higher man.
What happens
Zarathustra encounters two kings who are fleeing their false and corrupt courts in search of the higher man. They express disgust with the rabble and their own diminished role, and Zarathustra recognizes their quest as aligned with his own.
Themes in this chapter
Critique of Herd Morality
The kings denounce the rabble and the false 'good society,' highlighting the degradation of values in the herd.
Will to Power and Creation
The quest for the higher man reflects the drive to overcome current decadence and create new values.
Solitude and Companionship
Zarathustra emerges from solitude to meet the kings, and the kings seek companionship with the higher man.
Characters to notice
- Zarathustra
Observes the kings from hiding, then reveals himself and engages them in dialogue about the higher man.
- The King of the Isle
One of the two kings, he speaks bitterly about the false nobility and the rabble, and expresses a desire to find the higher man.
- The Ass
The laden ass driven before the kings; it brays 'Ye-a' at the end of the chapter.
- The Higher Men
Referenced as the object of the kings' search and Zarathustra's own quest.
Key passages
“Better, verily, to live among anchorites and goatherds, than with our gilded, false, over-rouged populace—though it call itself 'good society.'”
It is preferable to dwell with hermits and shepherds than among the deceitful and painted masses who pretend to be refined.
The king expresses his disgust with the artificiality of courtly society.
“There is no sorer misfortune in all human destiny, than when the mighty of the earth are not also the first men.”
The greatest calamity is when those in power are not the most excellent individuals.
The king articulates the core problem of leadership without virtue.