Thus Spoke Zarathustra · Chapter
XV explained
Zarathustra condemns the pious backworldsmen who preach passivity and renunciation of the world, urging his followers to shatter the old tables of such world-maligning morality.
What happens
Zarathustra condemns the pious backworldsmen who preach passivity and renunciation of the world, urging his followers to shatter the old tables of such world-maligning morality.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the dramatic climax because Zarathustra achieves the ultimate psychological peak of the *Yes-saying* p…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Death of God and Revaluation of Values
Zarathustra calls for shattering the old tables of pious morality that deny the world, aligning with the revaluation of all values.
- The Body and the Earth
The chapter condemns world-maligning attitudes that stifle reason and renounce the world, affirming the body and earthly life.
Characters to notice
- Zarathustra
Speaks against the pious backworldsmen, urging his brethren to break their maxims.
Key passages
“Shatter, shatter, O my brethren, those old tables of the pious! Tatter the maxims of the world-maligners!”
Break apart, my brothers, the ancient laws of the devout! Destroy the sayings of those who despise the world!
Zarathustra's direct command to overthrow the moral codes that reject earthly existence.
