Wagner & Nietzsche: Some Final Thoughts

Abstract

In the history of recent thought, two creative geniuses made both enormous and lasting influences on music and philosophy during the same decades: Richard Wagner and Friedrich Nietzsche, respectively. Wagner’s operatic masterpiece Der Ring des Nibelungen and Nietzsche’s literary masterpiece Thus Spake Zarathustra remain monumental contributions to understanding and appreciating the human situation within this dynamic universe. Each work is rich in symbolism and offers penetrating insights into the changing values of and pervasive conflicts within modern civilization. After years of research and reflection, what follows are some of my own final thoughts on their provocative ideas, complex relationship, and remarkable achievements

Keywords

• Creativity,Evolution,Music-Drama,Mythology,Philosophy,Ring cycle,Worldview,Zarathustra

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