The Character of Mephistopheles

When hearing of hell and of devils, the thoughts that come to people’s minds are often dark and terrifying. Yet, in my opinion, Mephistopheles does not appear to be as menacing as one would first think. Faustus conjures Mephistopheles and Mephistopheles does not tempt Faustus into the pact. This is the complete opposite of what a hellish creature is traditionally believed to do – they tempt people away from the innocent. However, we do see Mephistopheles’ character change at intervals within the play, for example with Robin and Rafe; he changes from the almost obeying servant to the typical devilish being. Mephistopheles never shows any joy, so his facial expressions and actions on stage should be conveying constant pain, as he is unable to escape his own fate of being damned to hell.

When we first meet Mephistopheles in Act 1, scene 3, his first line is a question: ‘Now, Faustus, what wouldst thou have me do?’ If it was unclear who Mephistopheles was, it could appear that he is Faustus’ servant. This is a confusing aspect of the character of Mephistopheles – is he not meant to be a fearing devil who people cower from? However, it may be introducing the fact that Faustus is not like other humans, rather than Mephistopheles is not like other devilish creatures. In addition: ‘I charge thee’, ‘Speak.’ – Faustus’ demands demean Mephistopheles into the servant persona. In the traditional biblical story, the devil tempted man with its powers, but here, Faustus is tempting the devil. Mephistopheles may be stood on stage as a menacing character, but it could be portrayed that Faustus is oblivious to this, just as he is oblivious to the pact he makes. On the other hand, a more terrifying idea would suggest that this is part of the devil’s plan – trick Faustus into believing he is powerful and, under false pretence, he will make the deal with even more ease and satisfaction.

Furthermore, Mephistopheles does show to have great power and influence over others in the play, so allowing Faustus to make his demands in order to trick him is a valid argument. When Robin and Rafe, the two comedy characters of the play call on Mephistopheles, the first instance of anger from the character appears: ‘Monarch of hell, under whose black survey Great potentates do kneel with awful fear’. On stage, Mephistopheles can be surrounded by smoke and flashing lights to show his hostility towards Robin and Rafe. His voice should boom out with maybe an echo to make him seem more fearful. It can show that the devil is within him and if he is unhappy, there are consequences. Yet, contradicting this view is that there are many less instances (one or two) where this side of Mephistopheles appears, rather than seeing him as the obeying right hand man. If he is a true devilish character, this persona would show much more readily. We must question why Mephistopheles is like this.

One argument would suggest that as Mephistopheles has been damned and essentially been through what Faustus’ fate will be, he is cautious of Faustus making the deal, and when he does he is saddened by this. ‘Why, this is hell’ – Mephistopheles explains that even the physical world is hell; nothing can ever be like heaven. This could be Mephistopheles warning Faustus to not make the pact, so he can experience the wonders of heaven. Mephistopheles sounds saddened rather than angry – does he regret his actions? If he does, Mephistopheles becomes a more human entity than Faustus – Faustus arguably does not regret his actions unless he is probed into it by another character.  

In order to study the character of Mephistopheles, it is vital to study the character of Faustus. It can be argued that Faustus is mentally ill, which is the reason he is so unafraid of the pact and why he so easily conjures up something which so many others fear. Mephistopheles and Faustus develop a close relationship with each other and Faustus refers to him as ‘sweet Mephistopheles’. ‘Sweet’ is in fact the opposite of what a devilish being is, so the audience do have to consider why Faustus calls him this. It can be concluded that Mephistopheles is Faustus’s alter-ego. Evil spirits take advantage of this and drag Faustus down to hell. This idea is reinforced through the parallels that are made between the characters – the old man calls Faustus ‘sweet Faustus’ and then Faustus again calls Mephistopheles ‘sweet Mephistopheles’, all in Act 5, scene 1. Finally, Faustus’ final words before he is dragged down to hell are ‘Ah Mephistopheles!’ We must question why Mephistopheles is his last thought. It could be that it is a cry for help from his ‘friend’, or it could be that Mephistopheles was inside his mind all along.

In conclusion, I believe that Mephistopheles is not the typical devil character that one would first assume. He does show a menacing side, but he shows a more ‘friendly’ side more often – he offers Faustus a dagger, which could be seen as a gesture to help Faustus take control of his death personally. Mephistopheles could be played as a voice over on stage and not actually as a presence on stage. This could therefore leave the audience to interpret whether or not Mephistopheles is a spirit, a servant of the devil, or purely a figure of Faustus’ mind and imagination.