An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 968 words)
o, this is the tarantula’s den! Wouldst thou see the tarantula itself?
Here hangeth its web: touch this, so that it may tremble.
There cometh the tarantula willingly: Welcome, tarantula! Black on thy
back is thy triangle and symbol; and I know also what is in thy soul.
Revenge is in thy soul: wherever thou bitest, there ariseth black scab;
with revenge, thy poison maketh the soul giddy!
Thus do I speak unto you in parable, ye who make the soul giddy,
ye preachers of EQUALITY! Tarantulas are ye unto me, and secretly
revengeful ones!
But I will soon bring your hiding-places to the light: therefore do I
laugh in your face my laughter of the height.
Therefore do I tear at your web, that your rage may lure you out of your
den of lies, and that your revenge may leap forth from behind your word
“justice.”
Because, FOR MAN TO BE REDEEMED FROM REVENGE—that is for me the bridge
to the highest hope, and a rainbow after long storms.
Otherwise, however, would the tarantulas have it. “Let it be
very justice for the world to become full of the storms of our
vengeance”—thus do they talk to one another.
“Vengeance will we use, and insult, against all who are not like
us”—thus do the tarantula-hearts pledge themselves.
“And ‘Will to Equality’—that itself shall henceforth be the name of
virtue; and against all that hath power will we raise an outcry!”
Ye preachers of equality, the tyrant-frenzy of impotence crieth thus in
you for “equality”: your most secret tyrant-longings disguise themselves
thus in virtue-words!
Fretted conceit and suppressed envy—perhaps your fathers’ conceit and
envy: in you break they forth as flame and frenzy of vengeance.
What the father hath hid cometh out in the son; and oft have I found in
the son the father’s revealed secret.
Inspired ones they resemble: but it is not the heart that inspireth
them—but vengeance. And when they become subtle and cold, it is not
spirit, but envy, that maketh them so.
Their jealousy leadeth them also into thinkers’ paths; and this is the
sign of their jealousy—they always go too far: so that their fatigue
hath at last to go to sleep on the snow.
In all their lamentations soundeth vengeance, in all their eulogies is
maleficence; and being judge seemeth to them bliss.
But thus do I counsel you, my friends: distrust all in whom the impulse
to punish is powerful!
They are people of bad race and lineage; out of their countenances peer
the hangman and the sleuth-hound.
Distrust all those who talk much of their justice! Verily, in their
souls not only honey is lacking.
And when they call themselves “the good and just,” forget not, that for
them to be Pharisees, nothing is lacking but—power!
My friends, I will not be mixed up and confounded with others.
There are those who preach my doctrine of life, and are at the same time
preachers of equality, and tarantulas.
That they speak in favour of life, though they sit in their den, these
poison-spiders, and withdrawn from life—is because they would thereby
do injury.
To those would they thereby do injury who have power at present: for
with those the preaching of death is still most at home.
Were it otherwise, then would the tarantulas teach otherwise: and they
themselves were formerly the best world-maligners and heretic-burners.
With these preachers of equality will I not be mixed up and confounded.
For thus speaketh justice UNTO ME: “Men are not equal.”
And neither shall they become so! What would be my love to the Superman,
if I spake otherwise?
On a thousand bridges and piers shall they throng to the future, and
always shall there be more war and inequality among them: thus doth my
great love make me speak!
Inventors of figures and phantoms shall they be in their hostilities;
and with those figures and phantoms shall they yet fight with each other
the supreme fight!
Good and evil, and rich and poor, and high and low, and all names of
values: weapons shall they be, and sounding signs, that life must again
and again surpass itself!
Aloft will it build itself with columns and stairs—life itself: into
remote distances would it gaze, and out towards blissful beauties—
THEREFORE doth it require elevation!
And because it requireth elevation, therefore doth it require steps, and
variance of steps and climbers! To rise striveth life, and in rising to
surpass itself.
And just behold, my friends! Here where the tarantula’s den is, riseth
aloft an ancient temple’s ruins—just behold it with enlightened eyes!
Verily, he who here towered aloft his thoughts in stone, knew as well as
the wisest ones about the secret of life!
That there is struggle and inequality even in beauty, and war for power
and supremacy: that doth he here teach us in the plainest parable.
How divinely do vault and arch here contrast in the struggle: how with
light and shade they strive against each other, the divinely striving
ones.—
Thus, steadfast and beautiful, let us also be enemies, my friends!
Divinely will we strive AGAINST one another!—
Alas! There hath the tarantula bit me myself, mine old enemy! Divinely
steadfast and beautiful, it hath bit me on the finger!
“Punishment must there be, and justice”—so thinketh it: “not
gratuitously shall he here sing songs in honour of enmity!”
Yea, it hath revenged itself! And alas! now will it make my soul also
dizzy with revenge!
That I may NOT turn dizzy, however, bind me fast, my friends, to this
pillar! Rather will I be a pillar-saint than a whirl of vengeance!
Verily, no cyclone or whirlwind is Zarathustra: and if he be a dancer,
he is not at all a tarantula-dancer!—
Thus spake Zarathustra.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
When legitimate grievances transform into toxic revenge disguised as moral crusades, creating more harm than healing.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when people use legitimate grievances as cover for revenge rather than genuine reform.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone's complaints focus entirely on tearing others down rather than building solutions—that's the tarantula's web.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Revenge is in thy soul: wherever thou bitest, there ariseth black scab; with revenge, thy poison maketh the soul giddy!"
Context: He's speaking directly to the tarantula, exposing its true nature
This reveals how resentment spreads like poison. When someone is driven by revenge, they infect others with their bitterness and make clear thinking impossible.
In Today's Words:
You're full of spite, and everywhere you go, you spread that toxic energy and mess with people's heads.
"FOR MAN TO BE REDEEMED FROM REVENGE—that is for me the bridge to the highest hope"
Context: He explains his vision for human potential beyond resentment
This is Nietzsche's core message - that humanity's greatest growth comes when we stop being driven by getting back at others and start focusing on creating something better.
In Today's Words:
People can only reach their full potential when they stop being obsessed with payback.
"Let it be very justice for the world to become full of the storms of our vengeance"
Context: This is how the resentful people justify their destructive behavior
They've convinced themselves that their revenge is actually justice. This shows how people can twist moral language to justify their worst impulses.
In Today's Words:
We deserve to make everyone else suffer because that's what real fairness looks like.
"Vengeance will we use, and insult, against all who are not like us"
Context: They reveal their true agenda of attacking anyone different or successful
This exposes the tribal, us-versus-them mentality that drives resentment. It's not about helping anyone - it's about hurting those who are different or better off.
In Today's Words:
We're going to attack and tear down anyone who isn't exactly like us or who has more than we do.
Thematic Threads
Resentment
In This Chapter
The tarantula embodies how victims can become victimizers when pain turns to poison
Development
Introduced here as a central danger to human development
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when your complaints about unfairness focus more on punishing others than improving your situation.
Class
In This Chapter
The tarantula preaches equality but really wants to tear down those with more power or success
Development
Builds on earlier themes by showing how class resentment can become destructive
In Your Life:
You might see this in yourself when you find yourself hoping successful people fail rather than working on your own advancement.
Identity
In This Chapter
Zarathustra struggles with his own susceptibility to the tarantula's poison, showing even wise people can be tempted by revenge
Development
Continues the theme that self-knowledge requires constant vigilance
In Your Life:
You might notice this when you catch yourself enjoying someone else's misfortune, even when you consider yourself a good person.
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
True growth requires choosing creation over destruction, even when revenge feels justified
Development
Reinforces that growth means taking responsibility for your own response to injustice
In Your Life:
You might apply this by asking whether your actions are building something better or just tearing something down.
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Society often rewards and validates resentment when it's dressed up as fighting for justice
Development
Introduced here as a new danger—how social approval can enable destructive patterns
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you get more attention for complaining about problems than for solving them.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What does the tarantula represent, and why does Zarathustra see it as dangerous?
analysis • surface - 2
How does the tarantula disguise its revenge as something noble, and why is this disguise so effective?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today preaching equality or justice but really seeking revenge? What are the warning signs?
application • medium - 4
When you've been hurt or treated unfairly, how can you tell if you're seeking genuine justice or just wanting revenge?
application • deep - 5
Why does Zarathustra tie himself to a pillar after being bitten, and what does this teach us about handling our own resentments?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Justice or Revenge Check
Think of a situation where you felt genuinely wronged or treated unfairly. Write down your initial reaction and what you wanted to happen to the person who hurt you. Now examine your motivations: Are you focused on preventing future harm and creating better conditions, or are you primarily wanting the other person to suffer? List three constructive actions you could take versus three revenge-based responses.
Consider:
- •Notice if you spend more mental energy imagining their downfall than planning your own progress
- •Ask yourself if your proposed 'solution' would actually improve things for everyone or just hurt your target
- •Consider whether you're using legitimate grievances to justify destructive impulses
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you caught yourself spinning in circles of resentment. What was your 'pillar' - what helped you redirect that energy toward something constructive instead of destructive?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 30: Breaking Free from Popular Opinion
Zarathustra turns his attention to the so-called wise ones and famous teachers, questioning whether they've been serving truth or merely telling people what they want to hear. He's about to expose how even wisdom can become corrupted.
