Thus Spoke Zarathustra · Chapter
VI: The Pale Criminal explained
Zarathustra addresses judges and executioners, arguing that the pale criminal's moment of self-judgment is his highest, and that his crime stems from a madness of the idea rather than the deed itself.
What happens
Zarathustra addresses judges and executioners, arguing that the pale criminal's moment of self-judgment is his highest, and that his crime stems from a madness of the idea rather than the deed itself. He critiques the herd's moral categories and calls for pity over revenge, urging a justification of life through love for the Superman.
Themes in this chapter
Critique of Herd Morality
Zarathustra condemns the judges' labels of 'villain' and 'sinner,' advocating instead for terms like 'enemy' and 'invalid,' and rejects the herd's self-complacent virtue.
Pity and Contempt
The pale criminal's eye speaks 'great contempt' for his own ego, while Zarathustra calls for pity in judgment rather than revenge.
Characters to notice
- Zarathustra
Delivers a discourse on the pale criminal, critiquing judicial morality and advocating for pity and the Superman.
- The Superman
Referenced as the ultimate justification for survival and love, contrasting with the pale criminal's self-contempt.
Key passages
“Mine ego is something which is to be surpassed: mine ego is to me the great contempt of man”
My self is something to be overcome; my self is the greatest human contempt.
Reflects the pale criminal's self-judgment and the theme of self-overcoming.
“Your slaying, ye judges, shall be pity, and not revenge; and in that ye slay, see to it that ye yourselves justify life!”
When you kill, judges, let it be out of pity, not revenge; and in killing, ensure you justify life itself.
Zarathustra redefines the purpose of capital punishment as an affirmation of life.
“But one thing is the thought, another thing is the deed, and another thing is the idea of the deed. The wheel of causality doth not roll between them.”
Thought, deed, and the idea of the deed are distinct; causality does not connect them directly.
Highlights the disconnect between intention and action, central to the criminal's madness.