The character of "Zarathustra" in the philosophy of Nietzsche

This study focuses on the "Zarathustra" character of Nietzsche, one of the important philosophers of the 19th century. It is aimed both to examine the connections of Nietzsche's "Zarathustra" character with the historical Zarathustrian and to reveal the place of this character in Nietzsche's life and philosophy. The "Zarathustra" character that emerged in the maturity period of Nietzsche's philosophy makes our study important in terms of reflecting his philosophy and taking its name from a historical character. In our study, the hermeneutic method has been used. Because Nietzsche's life and philosophy are parallel and he philosophizes based on metaphors, it is thought that it will be easier to understand the "Zarathustra" character with his hermeneutic method. As a result, it can be stated that Nietzsche's "Zarathustra" character cannot be considered independently of the historical Zarathustrian character. It can be said that Nietzsche, with his "Zarathustra" character, tries to surpass Zarathustra, whom he sees as the initiator of "good-bad" value judgments. It can be concluded that he, beyond these value judgments, positions the Übermensch as the creator of new values through "Zarathustra". Of course, it can be concluded that the concept of Eternal return, which gains meaning with the Übermensch, is also put forward by the "Zarathustra" character. Therefore, the character of "Zarathustra" has been fictionalized as the overcomer of decadence ongoing since Socrates and its resultant nihilism and as the preparer of the Übermensch. In this fiction, it can be argued that the character of "Zarathustra" is designed according to the pre-Socratic tragedy of Antiquity. The "Zarathustra" character's affirmation of life in a Dionysian style can also be presented as evidence for this. It can also be stated that Nietzsche, with his "Zarathustra" character, tries to reveal his own art based on Ancient Greek philosophy. Moreover, while doing this, it can be concluded that he built his own art by feeding on the artistic understanding of artists such as Dante, Goethe, Voltaire and Wagner.