Thus Spoke Zarathustra: The Stillest Hour Summary & Analysis

Zarathustra must go into solitude again, because “the stillest hour” has ordered him to go away. He heard a voice saying, “You know, Zarathustra, but you do not speak!” Zarathustra tries to resist the voice, which informs him that he is not yet humble enough. Zarathustra says that he has failed to reach other people with his teaching. The voice retorts that what people need most is someone who “commands great things.” Zarathustra has the power to rule, but he will not. The voice therefore orders Zarathustra to go “as a shadow of that which must come” and so command. In doing this, he must become a child. Because Zarathustra still resists this duty, the voice orders him back into solitude. Zarathustra is overwhelmed with grief at departing from his friends, and no one can comfort him. He goes away alone.