Zarathustra and His Shadow

Abstract

We intend to show in this article the main role that Nietzsche attributes to the figure of the “shadow” in his thought. Our starting point is the fourth part of Thus Spoke Zarathustra, where “Zarathustra” confronts his guests – the shadow among them. Nevertheless, this confrontation only gains a complete meaning with a brief reconstitution of the figure of the shadow among those writings that are usually defined as part of the second period of Nietzsche’s intellectual production. Therefore, to clarify the passages of Zarathustra implies a comprehension of the steps of shadow since Human, All Too Human.