Nietzsche's Notion Of Strong Pessimism

Nietzsche’s notion of “pessimism” is perhaps a defining change in philosophy and classic thought, since the advent of tragedy itself. While the implications of such a statement may be controversial in many spheres of academia, I believe that Nietzsche’s use of “Strong Pessimism” opens up a world of critical analysis of Greek and modern tragedy, that questions the fundamental underlying assumptions that have been assumed for so many years in classics studies. In dissecting the role that tragic heroes partake in tragedy, a theory arises that the tragic hero empowers the play of civilizations only through the acceptance of their own destruction, and in so doing both surrender and realize themselves, temporarily transcending their being to obtain

Having the desire to know all possible knowledge in the “little bag of dreams” the King’s wish is granted, but his reaction indicates that he is not prepared for the weight of such knowledge. The King’s action may seem like proof of his drive towards “Strong Pessimism”, but it could be argued that although he embraced the knowledge of the Druid, his despair afterwards is not characteristic of the “gaiety” shown in “Lapis Lazuli”. Whether the visual sign of gaiety or drive is a pretext for defining him as a Superman, the implicit belief is that his move to take direct action in making his choice is representative of the transformation from the Apollonian to the Dionysian. The King took direct action in making his choice and did not just remain King, because it was expected of him as the heir of the throne.
The transition to “Who goes with Fergus” provides a deeper discussion of Nietzsche’s “Strong Pessimism”, by engaging the wider reader and audience in pursuing Fergus’s noble decision. Challenging the inconsequential “brooding” of petty fears, to a sadder melancholy “brooding” of knowledge and universal mystery, Yeats hopes to draw upon the equilibrium of the Apollonian and Dionysian. Therefore the construction of the Übermensch, the Superman who has over mastered mastery, is made attainable to the reader as an alternative to one's current state of