Nietzsche on tragedy and Socrates

Abstract

Socrates appears to have been the perpetual target of Nietzsche's manic critique. His accusation of Socrates as ultimately responsible for the untimely death of Greek tragedy acquires both comic aspects and tragic proportions, surrounded as it is by his speculative and mytho-poetic account of the genesis of Greek tragedy and the additional prophesy of its destined rebirth in romantic Germany. Although he acknowledges the Socratic irony and Socrates' sense of humour, Nietzsche feels that he can identify Socrates' dialectic tricks in order to discern and disclose the dangerous essence of Socratism and its corrupting effect on noble Plato. While admiring Nietzsche's vision and power of the will as a classical philologist with philosophical pretensions, he is to be held accountable for his non-philosophical treatment of Socrates.