Thursday, March 3, 2011

The Devil and Demon in Dr. Faustus

The Devil in Dr. Faustus has always been Lucifer himself. Being the prince of Demons, with many servants, he sends one of his servant, Mephistopheles to secure the deal with Dr. Faustus. Lucifer is only after the Dr's soul and gives him 24 years time to live life before he is damned to hell forever. The Devil personifies Faustus the seven deadly sins as an acknowledgment of the sins of Dr. Faustus yet he does not realise the severity of it. 

Besides Lucifer, the main demon role in the play is played by Mephistopheles. Mephistopheles is a loyal servant of Lucifer. Yet based on his words, it seems Mephistopheles regrets being in Hell. Mephistopheles is able to relate to Dr. Faustus's situation and sympathises him. The demon tries its subtle best to change Dr. Faustus's decision but unfortunately to no avail. In the end Mephistopheles collects Dr. Faustus's soul .

Mephistopheles is a very popular demon from the German folklore. The demon originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust folklore and later on becoming a stock character for the devil himself. Though the Devil i s Lucifer, Mephistopheles is identified as the Devil instead because the demon's infamy. 

File:Mephistopheles2.jpg 
Mephistopheles



Vimal.

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