Beyond Good and Evil Literary Elements

Metaphysical philosophy (nonfiction)

There is no setting, per se, but Nietzsche was writing within the historical milieu of Germany in the mid-1880’s.

The narrative perspective is entirely that of Nietzsche. The point of view of the book as a whole is probably most accurately described as an example of the “free spirit.” That is the term which Nietzsche applies to those who refuse to have their point of view prejudiced by the corruption of absolute truths and certainties.

Nietzsche is almost unique among the towering figures of philosophy in not pursuing the idea of a unified philosophical theory. Collectively, his writings as a whole vary greatly from each other and even within each is this so. Beyond Good and Evil is a collection of very short paragraphs pursuing an individual theme that results in myriad tonal shifts. It might be accurate to suggest that what does unify them is an overall expression of derision toward established conventional and traditions.

Protagonist: Free Spirits, Good Europeans, Napoleon. Antagonist: The Herd, Nietzsche’s preferred term for the mediocre majority following conventional morality without critical engagement

The tension between “slave morality” as represented by the oppressed who evolve to see their weakness as a moral attribute and “master morality” who are essentially the aristocratic class.

As the conflict is ongoing without resolution, there is no actual climax to the book. And that is its message: the tension will never be resolved as long as the herd continues to cling to useless and outdated constructions of good and evil.

It is not just unfortunate, but quite ironic that Nietzsche remains so closely associated with the Nazi ideology that perverted his philosophy. The ultimate irony arrives in a chilling foreshadowing of a future still some significant distance away: "`Let no more Jews come in! And shut the doors, especially towards the East (also towards Austria)!’—thus commands the instinct of a people whose nature is still feeble and uncertain, so that it could be easily wiped out, easily extinguished, by a stronger race. The Jews, however, are beyond all doubt the strongest, toughest, and purest race at present living in Europe, they know how to succeed even under the worst conditions.”

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In aphorism 229 in Chapter VII (Our Virtues) Nietzsche makes an allusion to a Friedrich Schiller’s drama, William Tell, with a quote from Act IV, Scene 3 about “the milk of pious sentiment.” This phrase is actually quite famous in its more familiar form; “the milk of human kindness.”

Throughout the text, Nietzsche makes use of imagery to a bow, usually bent. The more a bow is bent, the greater the pressure placed upon the string. The metaphor is equally applied to collective struggle of nations as well as the individual.

Paradox also applies to the imagery of the bow. Bending the bow creates pressure which, if pushed to the limit, could break the whole thing. At the same time, however, the closer to the breaking point the bow is pushed and the greater pressure that places upon the string, the farther into the distance the arrow can land. Thus, tension is both a threat and a possibility for greatness.

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“The Herd” is used throughout the text as a metonymic device to refer collectively to the vast majority of the human population.

The very opening line of the book—encountered in the Preface—sets a tone for thematic exploration through the use of personification: “SUPPOSING that Truth is a woman—what then? Is there not ground for suspecting that all philosophers, in so far as they have been dogmatists, have failed to understand women”