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Mephistopheles in faust
Critical review over goethe's faust
Faustus and mephistopheles relationship
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Faust: Book Review
This novel written originally by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and
translated by Walter Kaufmann. There are 201 pages in this novel.. This book
is a poem divided into two parts and has many adventures in it. The point of
view is from the writer of the play, 3rd person narration. The theme of this
novel is Don't always take the easy way out of things because in the end you
will pay for them.
This novel starts off with Mephisto the Devil asking God to be able to
tempt a scholar named Faust. Mephisto talks with angels and God. Mephisto tells
God that Faust is loyal to him but will no be for long. Mephisto is going to
take Faust from him. Faust is sitting in his study most of the poem. He looks up
information to gain more knowledge. When he is looking one day through his study
he notices a book that he has never seen before. Faust takes it out and examines
it and finds out it is a book of spells, With this spell book he calls on
Mephisto. Faust finds out that Mephisto never wants to say his name just
describe his great power and plans that he can give Faust. Mephisto fails the
first time to get Faust to give in. He comes back the next day and tries again
but doesn't gain his hand in this deed. After Faust calls on Mephisto they
make a deal. Mephisto would serve Faust in this life and when Faust would die he
would come to hell and help Mephisto in return for giving Faust all this power.
Faust agrees and this is the start of the deed. Mephisto would do anything in
his power for Faust. These things that Mephisto did was to try to get Lady
Gretchen (that Faust liked dearly) to notice him. Mephisto would give Gretchen
diamonds and other assortment of jewelry to tempt her. This did not work. Over
the years of Mephisto doing all these deeds for Faust, He gained a lot of
knowledge. Faust started to get real old and very ill. He started to see ghosts
and other kinds of unnatural things in front of his eyes that he never saw
before. Over more time Faust becomes blind and can no longer do anything. When
Faust is dying Mephisto gets ready to take him to hell to serve him in eternity.
When Faust dies God comes into the picture again. He gets angels to distract
Mephisto and take Faust into Heaven. God forgives Faust for all he has done.
Faust also gets out of his contract. He is finally pleased with this paradise he is going to build. The ability for following generations to enjoy this paradise was his pleasure. This selfless act of joy was what allowed God to save him, even though the contract said otherwise.
This excerpt reveals that Faustus, although he has had much success and is widely recognized for it, yearns for further discovery, a limitless experience, a power that physically is beyond him. Later in the same scene, he clearly states his solution to this quandary, “A Sound magician is a mighty god. Here Faustus, try thy brains to gain a deity” (63 – 64). In order to achieve this for even a limited time however, he must exceed natural human boundaries. In his search for a means to do so, he forms a new boundary, namely the loss of control over his soul, in scene 5 through a contract with Lucifer.
Faust’s one desire was to seek out to gain more knowledge out of life, and so he makes a pact with the devil or the “baron”,mestopheles and faust sets out from the long years in his study with mestopheles to seek and fulfill this desire in the outside world, by simply interacting with the everyday life. Faust shows no weakness towards the lustful drinking party in auerbachs cellar, on the contrary he openly says that he is “inclined to leave immediately.” (line: 2295) Here he holds on to his individuality which he had shown a clear part of it before entering the cellar when he said “I never was at ease with other people, they make me feel so small and continually embarrassed.” (lines: 2058-2060) the people around the individuals have the ability to make someone feel “small” or less fortunate than other; some individuals are effected and some or not. Those who are effected undergo what is called secondary socialization, where their personality is influenced and is changed and reformed according to these people. In fausts case; he shows no sign of weakness and does not try to fit in and so he clearly shows that he isn’t enjoying himself like the other men and so he wants to leave. This did not effect his personality but another temptation did, and that was the temptation of lust or love. His strong powerful personality seems to change in the blink of an eye when he looks into the mirror in the witch’s kitchen and sees the image of the lady; he seems to forget everything especially his aim to seek knowledge and his new aim becomes this woman and all he wants is to get to her.
Having attained all that he desires from the knowledge of man, Marlowe’s character Faustus turns to the only remaining school of thought that he feels he must master which is the art of necromancy. In his pursuits, he manages to summon the devil Mephistopheles, arch demon of hell, and strikes a deal to trade his immortal soul with Lucifer in exchange for being granted an infinite amount of power and knowledge that extends even beyond the limits of human understanding. However in the process of negotiating the terms of his pact, it becomes clear that Faust is in a constant state of uncertainty in terms of whether he should repent and forsake the arrangement or simply go through with it. This underlying theme of internal struggle is introduced very early and reappears in later acts with the appearance of established binaries that suggest a theme of division not only among the character of John Faustus, but within the written text as a whole. This suggests that Faustus is meant to serve as a symbol for the divided nature of man and the consequences of failing to negotiate the struggles that are a result of the divided self.
Mephistopheles was very much of a skeptic and a gambler. In the "Prologue in Heaven", Mephistopheles bet the Lord that he could turn Faust against him and make him do evil. This was ironic because most people would never dream of speaking to the Lord in this way. This showed that Mephistopheles was self- confident and witty. He was very set in his ways and beliefs and found it difficult to believe that God could keep total control over Faust, or any one else for that matter.
Compared to Victor, who circumvents the laws of nature in the name of discovery, Faustus believes that the only means of achieving importance is through the rebellion against universal truths like death’s permanence. It is because of these beliefs that Faustus summons Mephistopheles, and these beliefs contribute to his appearance as an objectionable and reprehensible
Faustus, too, is a superior being. He consciously removes the yoke of academia, and exerts his free will. After freely entering into his contract with Lucifer, he repeatedly considers repenting. When he calls on Christ to help "save distressed Faustus' soul," the evil trinity of Lucifer, Belzebub, and Mephostophilis appear, possibly to tear him to pieces. Under duress, he vows, "never to name God or pray to him." However, with only one-half hour left on earth, he calls on God. Faustus, forever the horse trader, tries to strike a deal with God. He asks God, for Christ's sake and blood, to limit his time in hell from a thousand to a hundred thousand years.
Mephistophilis is the opposite of Faustus. Mephistophilis is the stereotype of the typical conniving Devil’s assistant. He is always pressuring Faustus to listen to his “bad angel” and act upon his desires instead of his intellect. Mephistophilis’ personality influences the entire pl...
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend that tells the story of a well-known businessman that gets wrapped up into his own head and is wanting all of this power. Faust craves development and is only
In Faust, the intelligent gentleman Faust, seeks spiritual wholeness in knowledge. Through years of hard study, Faust becomes knowledgeable in math, sciences and religion and yet he becomes inept and incapable of having any romantic or physical relationships with the outside world. As Faust strives to become the "over man" through knowledge, he realizes that books will not satisfy his curiosity and that maybe sensual pleasures will. Therefore, in the process of creating his new life, Faust, becomes distant and unconcerned with all reality and humanity around him.
Frustratingly, Faustus continually remains blind to the destruction his actions cause to himself. He condemns Mephistopheles for his sins, but Faustus called him forth through dark magic. At certain points during the play, Faustus doubts his damnation to the shadowy hell that awaits him once his promised twenty-four years of debauchery have ended. In conversing with Mephistopheles, Faustus claims “Come, I think hell’s a fable” and then, “Why, think’st thou then that Faustus shall be damned?” (Marlowe, Doctor Faustus 2.1.128 & 130) When his sins finally ensnare him so that he cannot deny his fate, Faustus nearly attempts to atone for his foolish ephemeral pursuit of power. His inner conflict pertains to the choices of the past rather than the Evil Angel and Good Angel that had tried to persuade him of the path he should take before. Just as before, he cannot find it within himself to quell his pride and beg for forgiveness. The innate weakness within the moral fiber of his character breaks before the threat of violence that Mephistopheles threatens to unleash on him should he try to call on God to pardon him. At the last moment, Faustus in his last moments on Earth to
The relationship between Faustus and Mephastophilis creates a dynamic that is rejected by society at this time. Although Faustus is well educated, he still lacks the one thing he truly desires: someone to control him, especially in a sexual manner. When Faustus decides to give Mephastophilis his soul for servitude, Faustus proclaims: “Lo, Mephastophilis, for love of thee, / I cut my arm, and with my proper blood, / Assure my soul to be great Lucifer’s,” (I.V.53-54). The declaration of love for Mephastophilis suggests that Faustus realized that, by giving Mephastophilis his soul, he will be able to gain his desire for control through Mephastophilis acting as his servant and granting him his wishes. Faustus does not realize until the last line of the play, however, that Mephastophilis is the one who is
Doctor Faustus can only be described as a man that had a fervent hunger for power. The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, or, which is commonly known as, just ‘Doctor Faustus’, is an Elizabethan story written by Christian Marlowe. The work represents the tragic life of a scholar, John Faustus, who later finds himself into damnation because of his decision to practice sorcery. Since he had deliberately sold his soul to the devil, he gains incredible knowledge and power through his involvement of necromancy. Though he feels he has endless power, he is later forced to face his downfall. When his 24 year period, the time he had agreed to, is over, he is taken and dragged to Hell realizing his lack of good sense.
The first appearance of Faust in the story finds him having doubts about himself and the worth of his time spent in education. Undeterred by this depression, we see his pride has not diminished as he declares he is “cleverer than these stuffed shirts, these Doctors, M.A.s, Scribes and Priests, I’m not bothered by a doubt or a scruple, I’m not afraid of Hell or the Devil” (Goethe 633). Turning to magic to fill the void in his life, Faust conjures a spirit, but shrinks back from it in fear. In the ensuing argument between them, Faust asserts that he is the spirits “equal” (Goethe 637). Mephisto’s second visit at Faust’s residence leads them to having a drawn out discussion over the proposal of Mephisto serving Faust in exchange for his soul. Common sense might ask why a person would willingly discuss a deal with the devil knowing that it probably won’t end well. This instance would have to be answered that the imperious pride of Faust made him “so rash that he would give no heed to the salvation of his soul He thought the devil could not be so black as he is painted nor hell so hot as is generally supposed” (Fischer 107). In spite of his vast education, Faust’s pride pulls him into wagering his soul with Mephisto and causing the deaths of others and his
Frank Manley. “The Nature of Faustus.” Modern Philosophy 66.3 (Feb, 1969): 218-231. The University of Chicago Press. Web. 15 Nov. 2013