ne get rid of ancient society?" Only by declaring war against
"contracts" (traditions, morality). _This Siegfried does._ He starts early
at the game, very early--his origin itself is already a declaration of war
against morality--he is the result of adultery, of incest.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} Not the saga,
but Wagner himself is the inventor of this radical feature, in this matter
he _corrected_ the saga.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} Siegfried continues as he began: he follows only
his first impulse, he flings all tradition, all respect, all _fear_ to the
winds. Whatever displeases him he strikes down. He tilts irreverently at
old god-heads. His principal undertaking, however, is to emancipate
woman,--"to deliver Brunnhilda."{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} Siegfried and Brunnhilda, the sacrament
of free love, the dawn of the golden age, the twilight of the Gods of old
morality--_evil is got rid of_.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} For a long while Wagner's ship sailed
happily along this course. There can be no doubt that along it Wagner
sought his highest goal.--What happened? A misfortune. The ship dashed on
to a reef; Wagner had run aground. The reef was Schopenhauer's philosophy;
Wagner had stuck fast on a _contrary_ view of the world. What had he set
to music? Optimism? Wagner was ashamed. It was moreover an optimism for
which Schopenhauer had devised an evil expression,--_unscrupulous_
optimism. He was more than ever ashamed. He reflected for some time; his
position seemed desperate.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} At last a path of escape seemed gradually to
open before him--what if the reef on which he had been wrecked could be
interpreted as a goal, as the ulterior motive, as the actual purpose of
his journey? To be wrecked here, this was also a goal:--_Bene navigavi cum
naufragium feci_ {~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} and he translated the "Ring" into Schopenhauerian
language. Everything goes wrong, everything goes to wrack and ruin, the
new world is just as bad as the old one:--Nonentity, the Indian Circe
beckons {~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} Brunnhilda, who according to the old plan had to retire with a
song in honour of free love, consoling the world with the hope of a
socialistic Utopia in which "all will be well"; now gets something else to
do. She must first study Schopenhauer. She must first versify the fourth
book of "The World as Will and Idea." _Wagner was saved.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~}_ Joking apart,
this _was_ a salvation. The service which Wagner owes