On the Genealogy of Morals Character Analysis

Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche is the author and sole voice of On the Genealogy of Morals. Nietzsche is highly skeptical about the 19th-century European culture of his time. He thinks that his culture is in crisis, because… read analysis of Friedrich Nietzsche

Ascetic priest

Nietzsche characterizes an ascetic priest as a person who believes that it’s good to be humble, chaste, and poor by denying psychological urges and aspects of life that are emotional, bodily, and materialistic. Ascetic priests… read analysis of Ascetic priest

British psychologists

Nietzsche characterizes British psychologists as empirical thinkers. They believe that the mind is originally blank, and people learn concepts and ideas by perceiving the world around them, absorbing sensory data (sight, touch, smell, sound, and… read analysis of British psychologists

Richard Wagner

Wagner is a German operatic composer; he’s Nietzsche’s former friend but current enemy. Nietzsche thinks that Wagner used to be a good artist but became seduced by Christianity in later life, which ruined his… read analysis of Richard Wagner

Arthur Schopenhauer

Schopenhauer is a German philosopher who believes that all reality and existence is underpinned by a relentless, exhausting, striving sensation that he calls the “will.” Schopenhauer thinks that of all the arts, music… read analysis of Arthur Schopenhauer

Immanuel Kant

Kant is a German philosopher who believes that people need to maintain emotional and personal detachment from art when they look at it. Kant argues that seeing something as beautiful requires a person to eliminate… read analysis of Immanuel Kant

Minor Characters

Stendhal

Stendhal is a French writer who argues that artists want to excite, stimulate, and move their audiences with their work. Nietzsche agrees with Stendhal.

Dr. Paul Ree

Ree is a scholar who, like Nietzsche, studies the origins of moral behavior. Ree and Nietzsche both think that morals evolve over time, but Nietzsche disagrees with Ree’s view on how morals evolve.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon was a French emperor. Nietzsche thinks that Napoleon was an anomaly in European culture because Napoleon was bold, active, and strong. This conflicts with Europe’s Christianity-based moral code that advocates being patient, kind, and passive.

Eugen Dühring

Dühring is a German philosopher whom Nietzsche describes as “anti-Semitic” and “belligerent.” Nietzsche thinks that Dühring represents the vengeful, hateful undertones of European culture that Nietzsche worries about.

Parsifal

Parsifal is the titular protagonist of Wagner’s opera Parsifal. Parsifal is a simple country boy who shuns romantic and intellectual encounters to seek the Holy Grail. Nietzsche thinks that Parsifal is a reductive, moralizing character who exposes everything that’s wrong with the heavy religious overtones of Wagner’s late work.

Lucifer

Lucifer is the protagonist of Wagner’s early opera Luther’s Wedding. Nietzsche thinks that Luther is an interesting character who’s bold and courageous because he doesn’t shy away from being sensual.

Jesus of Nazareth

Jesus was a historical Jewish religious leader who became the central figure of Christianity.

Mr. Inquisitive and Foolhardy

Mr. Inquisitive and Foolhardy is the imaginary persona Nietzsche uses to address the championing of weakness and nonviolence among oppressed people.

Plato

Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher.

Spinoza

Spinoza was a Dutch philosopher.

François de La Rouchefoucald

La Rouchefoucald was a French author.

Herbert Spencer

Spencer was a British sociologist.

Henry Thomas Buckle

Buckle was an English historian.

Thomas Aquinas

Aquinas was an Italian theologian.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Goethe was a German writer.

Hafiz

Hafiz was a Persian poet.