In Christopher Marlowe’s play, Doctor Faustus, a German doctor named Faustus is searching for purpose in his life. He ultimately comes to the decision of choosing necromancy over more logical choices, such as philosophy or physics. Faustus does many things that we, as Christians, deem blasphemous. One of his first acts of necromancy is summoning a servant of Lucifer, Mephistophilis, who he desires to become his personal servant on Earth as long as he lives. Mephistophilis only agrees to the wish if Faustus sells his soul to Lucifer after twenty-four years and Faustus agrees to the request. Throughout the play, it becomes more apparent that Mephistophilis hates his duty to Lucifer as a servant and does not despise God as other fallen angels might. He does not appear to have any hatred towards God like Lucifer does, and, because of this, is not seen being any part of plotting revenge against Him. Mephistophilis comes off as a grievous character in his scenes because he knows he is at fault for his twisted morals and knows that he has no power over his situation. This characteristic is what utterly allows the audience to gain sympathy for him rather than the main character, Faustus, who ends up making numerous unwise decisions.
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, we first meet Mephistophilis when he is summoned by Faustus. Faustus comes to ask the demon what he did to become out of Hell, where he is eternally damned. What Mephistophilis replies to the doctor with is a reply weighted with shameful woes. “Why this is hell, nor am I out of it. Think’st thou that I who saw the face of God and tasted the eternal joys of Heaven, am not tormented with ten thousand hells”(Marlowe 13). Mephistophilis even continues on by begging Faustus to not go down the same path that the demon had once endured. “O Faustus! Leave these frivolous demands, Which strike a terror to my fainting soul” (Marlowe 13). Mephistophilis may reside in Hell, but when he begs Faustus to take another path, the reader notices that he is slightly virtuous in the sense that he does care if others are given the same fate as him. Certainly, there are those who do not realize their acts are against God and there are those that realize they are, Faustus is one of those who knows his is committing blasphemy against God by performing his sinful acts. Yet, a demon, who you would think would encourage the temptation and sin, pleads for the sinner to not carry themselves down the path of unrighteousness any further for they have the chance to be redempted unlike the demon.
Mephistophilis does not only have the characteristic of being virtuous, he is also extremely loyal to his duty as a servant to Lucifer even though he despises it. When the irrational Faustus finally lists the conditions of his deed with Lucifer, Mephistophilis becomes the earthly servant of him. When Faustus asks of his new servant where Hell exactly lies, Mephistophilis answers in a similar manner that he did when the doctor had asked him earlier of how the demon came to be out of the pit of eternal fire. “Within the bowels of these elements, Where we are tortur’d and remain for ever; Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscrib’d in one self place; for where we are is hell, and where hell is there must we ever be” (Marlowe 22). Faustus proceeds to ask Mephistophilis of many things until he suddenly decides to repent. Still being a servant to both Lucifer and Faustus, Mephistophilis continues to try to
convince the doctor that he is eternally destined for Hell ever since he already conditioned the deed. Mephistophilis’ reasoning for the reminder is not because he wants Faustus to turn back to his previous unholy ways, but of the demon’s servitude to Lucifer and the mere fact that Faustus had already signed away his soul. He is stating facts that go along with his service to Lucifer and not stating a personal opinion, thereby showing his loyalty.
In conclusion, Mephistophilis plays a more noble and sympathetic role than Faustus did in the entire play because he does not morally decline in character. Like Faustus, who goes from wanting to serve God to wanting to serve Lucifer. He is completely loyal, unfortunately, forever to Lucifer and stays loyal to Faustus within the limits of his deed with Lucifer. There may be times where Mephistophilis is stating how much he hates what he has to do, but that does not make him disloyal to his master, Lucifer, because he does not perform any acts to go along with his disgruntled statements.
He is a fallen angel who has experienced the joys of Heaven and, therefore, tries to keep others from becoming like him. These character traits are what make Mephistophilis have more of a tragic downfall than Faustus ever did.
Works Cited:
Marlowe, Christopher. Dr. Faustus. Dover, 1994.
