Relationship between Dr. Faustus and Mephastopheles
Relationship between Faustus and Mephastophilis Compiled by- Aaisha Bagban University of Pune, India
The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus is a play in which the protagonist Dr. Faustus who is an excellent scholar from Wittenberg , Germany sells his soul to the Devil for power and knowledge. In the end, his curiosity for knowledge and his greed for wealth and power led to his downfall. Faustus summons Mephastophilis to gain authority over him but, instead falls prey to temptation and sways from his path to achieve greatness.
Throughout the play, we see Mephastophilis tempting and manipulating Dr. Faustus. It is his job to keep doing this in order to keep Dr. Faustus from changing his mind and going back to repenting for his sins. He is selfish and he wants Faustus’s soul.
Faustus tries to conjure up the devil by committing blasphemy. Mephastophilis – The Devil appears, but Faustus is unable to tolerate the hideous looks of the devil and commands him to change his appearance. He jokingly suggests a ‘Franciscan Friar’. The devil leaves, and Faustus marvels at how obedient he is. Faustus swells up with pride and calls himself ‘The Conjurer Laureate’. His arrogance takes over and he feels that he can command Mephastophilis.
When Mephastophilis returns he asks Faustus that – ‘What wouldst thou have me do?’ In this way he allows Faustus to believe that he has power over him. Faustus then asks Mephastophilis to serve him and do as he says. He tries to bind Mephastophilis to his service but is unable to do so, as Mephastophilis already serves Lucifer- The Prince of Devils.
Mephastophilis is shrewd and takes advantage of the fact that Faustus needs and wants him in order to further his own colonist ideas of becoming the ‘great emperor of the world’. Mephastophilis’ job is to collect damned souls. But he also acts like a friend to
The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus is a play in which the protagonist Dr. Faustus who is an excellent scholar from Wittenberg , Germany sells his soul to the Devil for power and knowledge. In the end, his curiosity for knowledge and his greed for wealth and power led to his downfall. Faustus summons Mephastophilis to gain authority over him but, instead falls prey to temptation and sways from his path to achieve greatness.
Throughout the play, we see Mephastophilis tempting and manipulating Dr. Faustus. It is his job to keep doing this in order to keep Dr. Faustus from changing his mind and going back to repenting for his sins. He is selfish and he wants Faustus’s soul.
Faustus tries to conjure up the devil by committing blasphemy. Mephastophilis – The Devil appears, but Faustus is unable to tolerate the hideous looks of the devil and commands him to change his appearance. He jokingly suggests a ‘Franciscan Friar’. The devil leaves, and Faustus marvels at how obedient he is. Faustus swells up with pride and calls himself ‘The Conjurer Laureate’. His arrogance takes over and he feels that he can command Mephastophilis.
When Mephastophilis returns he asks Faustus that – ‘What wouldst thou have me do?’ In this way he allows Faustus to believe that he has power over him. Faustus then asks Mephastophilis to serve him and do as he says. He tries to bind Mephastophilis to his service but is unable to do so, as Mephastophilis already serves Lucifer- The Prince of Devils.
Mephastophilis is shrewd and takes advantage of the fact that Faustus needs and wants him in order to further his own colonist ideas of becoming the ‘great emperor of the world’. Mephastophilis’ job is to collect damned souls. But he also acts like a friend to