Thus Spoke Zarathustra · Chapter
II explained
Two kings, having heard Zarathustra's warlike sayings, express their admiration for his teachings on bravery and war, recalling their fathers' love for conflict.
What happens
Two kings, having heard Zarathustra's warlike sayings, express their admiration for his teachings on bravery and war, recalling their fathers' love for conflict. Zarathustra, amused by their peaceful demeanor, directs them to his cave and tells them they must wait, noting that the virtue of kings today is the ability to wait.
Themes in this chapter
Critique of Herd Morality
Zarathustra's praise of war and bravery contrasts with the herd's preference for long peace, challenging conventional moral values.
Will to Power and Creation
The kings' fathers found life in conflict, embodying the will to power through war, which Zarathustra upholds as a creative force.
Characters to notice
- Zarathustra
Zarathustra receives the two kings, listens to their praise of his warlike teachings, and directs them to his cave, instructing them to wait.
- The King of the Isle
The king on the right speaks for both kings, recounting how Zarathustra's enemies showed a distorted image of him, but they were drawn to his teachings on war and bravery.
Key passages
“Ye shall love peace as a means to new wars, and the short peace more than the long!”
Love peace only as a preparation for further conflict, and prefer brief peace over prolonged peace.
Zarathustra teaches that peace should serve war, not be an end in itself.
“What is good? To be brave is good. It is the good war that halloweth every cause.”
Goodness is defined by courage, and a just war sanctifies any purpose.
Zarathustra redefines goodness in terms of bravery and conflict.
“Where doth one at present learn better to wait than at courts? And the whole virtue of kings that hath remained unto them—is it not called today: Ability to wait?”
Courts are the best places to learn patience, and the only virtue left to modern kings is their capacity to wait.
Zarathustra ironically praises the kings' patience, hinting at their diminished role.