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Kaufmann, Nietzsche's Birth of Tragedy - Kunstfilosofie

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Kaufmann,Nietzsche'sBirthofTragedy

From:WalterKaufmann,TragedyandPhilosophy.Princeton:
PrincetonUniversityPress,1992.Originallypublishedin1968.
ThisdocumentcontainsChapterIX,Section58,onthesubject
ofNietzsche'sbook'TheBirthofTragedyfromtheSpiritof
Music'(1872).

Inhisfirstbook,TheBirthofTragedy,Nietzscheiswidely
supposedtohavestillbeenanardentdiscipleofSchopenhauer.
Infact,thebookislargelyinspiredbyNietzsche'sinsightthat
Schopenhauer'stheoryoftragedywashopelesslywrong.
HavingcriticizedTheBirthofTragedyonanumberofpoints,we
neednothesitatetosidewithitwhereNietzscheemancipates
himselffromSchopenhauer'sinfluence.Nietzscheclaimsthat
"everytruetragedyleavesus"withwhatheratherinfelicitously
calls"themetaphysicalcomfort"atermhelaterregretted
"thatlifeisatthebottomofthings,despiteallthechangesof
appearances,indestructiblypowerfulandpleasurable."Anda
fewlineslater,stillinsec.7,wearetoldhow"theprofound
Hellene,uniquelysusceptibletothetenderestanddeepest
suffering,comfortshimself,havinglookedboldlyrightintothe
terribledestructivenessofsocalledworldhistoryaswellasthe
crueltyofnature,andbeingindangeroflongingforaBuddhistic
negationofthewill.Artsaveshim,andthroughartlife."
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Nietzschelinksthisinsightwithcommentsonthechorusof
satyrsthatdonotseemtostandupwellinthelightofrecent
scholarship.Butthecentralpointseemsright.Tocrystallizeit,
letusciteNietzsche'scommentonSchopenhauerinthepreface
headdedtothesecondeditionof1886.Therehequotes
Schopenhauer'sdoctrineofresignationfromVolumeIIand
comments:"HowdifferentlyDionysusspoketome!Howfar
removedfromallthisresignationism!"Andheexpresseshis
regret"thatIobscuredandspoiledDionysianpremonitionswith
Schopenhauerianformulations."
InthechapteronTheBirthofTragedyinEcceHomo,Nietzsche
sayssimilarly:"PreciselytheirtragediesprovethattheGreeks
werenotpessimists:Schopenhauerwaswrong"andafew
lineslaterheaddsthathisbook"smellsoffensivelyHegelian,
andthecadaverousperfumeofSchopenhauersticksonlytoa
fewformulas."
Tosumup:wehavefoundanotherreasonwhytragediesare
felttobeenjoyabletheysuggesttousthatlifeandtheworld
arebeautifulinspiteofallthesuffering,cruelty,andterrorsof
existence.IfthereismoremiseryinLearandHamlet,Oedipus
andAgamemnonthaninourownexperience,theyarealso
incomparablymorebeautiful.Wearemadetofeelthatsuffering
isnoinsuperableobjectiontolife,thateventheworst
misfortunesarecompatiblewiththegreatestbeauty.Farfrom
beingpersuadedthatlifeisnotworthlivingandthatweshould
leavetheworld,weareconfirmedinourdeterminationtohold
out.Thefeelingthatisevokedbrieflyisthatgoingon,whichis
atothertimesamerematterofinertia,isanactofcourage.
Wehavepreviouslynotedthatintragedymearesagitur,my
sorrowsarearticulated.Bythesametoken,thetriumphof
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language,ofpoetry,ofnobilityisalsomine.Wehavethusfound
onemoreanswertoSchopenhauer'sfinalquestion:"the
presentationoftheterriblesideoflife"is"highlyenjoyable"
becauseincontextitpersuadesusthatourownlifeisnot
hopeless.
ThatismywayofputtingthepointhereisNietzsche's:
"Tragedyissofarfromprovinganythingaboutthepessimismof
theHellenes,inSchopenhauer'ssense,thatitmay,onthe
contrary,beconsidereditsdecisiverepudiationandcounter
instance.SayingYestolifeeveninitsstrangestandhardest
problems,thewilltoliferejoicingoveritsowninexhaustibility
evenintheverysacrificeofitshighesttypesthatiswhatI
calledDionysian,thatiswhatIguessedtobethebridgetothe
psychologyofthetragicpoet.Notinordertobeliberatedfrom
terrorandpity,notinordertopurgeoneselfofadangerous
affectbyitsvehementdischargeAristotleunderstooditthat
waybutinordertobeoneselftheeternaljoyofbecoming,
beyondallterrorandpitythatjoywhichincludedevenjoyin
destroying.AndherewithIagaintouchthatpointfromwhichI
oncewentforth:TheBirthofTragedywasmyfirstrevaluationof
allvalues."
NowletusreturnoncemoretoTheBirthofTragedy.After
picturingtragedyrightlyastheantithesisofany"Buddhistic
negationofthewill,"Nietzsche,justafewlineslater,offersan
interestingobservationaboutHamletandfurtherdevelopshis
conceptionoftragedy:
"TheDionysianmanresemblesHamlet:bothhaveoncelooked
trulyintotheessenceofthings,theyhavegainedknowledge,
andnauseainhibitsactionfortheiractioncouldnotchange
anythingintheeternalnatureofthingstheyfeelittobe
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ridiculousorhumiliatingthattheyshouldbeaskedtosetrighta
worldthatisoutofjoint.Knowledgekillsactionactionrequires
theveilsofillusion:thatisthedoctrineofHamlet,notthatcheap
wisdomofJacktheDreamerwhoreflectstoomuchand,asit
were,fromanexcessofpossibilitiesdoesnotgetaroundto
action.Notreflection,notrueknowledge,aninsightintothe
horribletruth,outweighsanymotiveforaction...
"Consciousofthetruthhehasonceseen,mannowsees
everywhereonlythehorrororabsurdityofexistence...heis
nauseated.Here,whenthedangertohiswillisgreatest,art
approachesasasavingsorceress,expertathealing.Shealone
knowshowtoturnthesenauseousthoughtsaboutthehorroror
absurdityofexistenceintonotionswithwhichonecanlive..."
Weseetheheroof[JeanPaulSartre's]Nauseamasteringhis
nauseabywritingNausea,andrealizehowSartre'sfirstnovel,
hisfirsttriumph,wasprobablyinspiredbyNietzsche,whose
decisiveinfluenceonTheFliesweconsideredintheprevious
chapter.Whethertheabovetwoparagraphsarephilosophyor
not,dependsonourconceptionofphilosophy.Sufficeitthatina
meretwopagesNietzscherefutesSchopenhauer'stheoryof
tragedy,throwsmorelightonHamletthanprobablyany
previouswriter,andinspiresoneofthemostepochmaking
novelsofthetwentiethcentury.
Theconclusionofthesentencewebrokeoffisworthquoting,
too:
"thesearethesublimeastheartistictamingofthehorrible,and
thecomicastheartisticdischargeofthenauseaofabsurdity."
Schopenhauerhadlinkedtragedywiththesublime,aswehave
seen,thoughcertainlynotwiththeartisticconquestofthe
horriblebutSchopenhauer'snotionofthecomichadinnoway
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foreshadowedthetheatreoftheabsurd,asNietzsche'sdoes.
Onthecontrary,Schopenhauerwasaswrongaboutcomedyas
abouttragedyonlyhistheoryofcomedydoesnotquitefillone
page,attheveryendofthesamechapterinVolumeIIinwhich
wefoundhistheoryoftragedy.Incomedy,heclaimed,suffering
isbrief.Comedytellsus"thatlifeisonthewholequitegoodand
aboveallamusingthroughout."
Actually,Nietzscheechoesthissuperficialviewofcomedyina
note:"Tragedydealswiththeincurable,comedywithcurable
suffering."Thisisdoublywrongbutinthepublishedversionhe
omittedthemistakeaboutcomedy:"tragedies...dealwiththe
incurable,inevitable,inescapableinthehumanlotand
character."
Ishouldrathersaythatcomedycanexpressadespair
comparedwithwhichevengreattragediesarerelatively
hopeful.Tragedysuggeststhatnobilityispossible,thatcourage
isadmirable,andthatevendefeatcanbeglorious.Butcomedy
suggeststhatnobilityisasham,thatcourageispreposterous,
andthattriumphsnolessthandefeatsareridiculous.Andwhile
Nietzschesuggestsinafamouspassagethat"Whatconstitutes
thevoluptuousnessoftragedyiscruelty,"Isubmit,onthe
contrary,thattragedydependsforitseffectonsympathywith
thosewhosufferandisthereforeaprofoundlyhumanizing
force,whilecomedydependsoncruelty.ToenjoyTheMerchant
ofVeniceasacomedy,onemustnotbyanymeansidentifywith
Shylockbutbeabletoenjoyhisultimatemisfortunes.Andifone
couldrefrainfromsympathyforLearandGloucester,orOthello
andDesdemona,onemightlaughatthem.Inthelasttwoplays,
ofcourse,Shakespeare'sattitudeissinglemindedhencewe
havenooption.InShylock'scasethepoetwassomewhat
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ambivalenthencesomecanlaughathim,somenot.InTroilus
andCressidawearesupposedtolaughbutevenifwedo,we
feelamoreprofoundbitterness,disgust,andhopelessnessthan
inmosttragedies.
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