Mephastophilis Influence On Dr Faustus

Faustus’ Inferno; Mephastophilis’ Influence on Faustus and his Damnation
Measuring power and authority solely through titles like ‘master’ and ‘slave’ can be troublesome and superficial. In the play The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, the character Dr. John Faustus sells his soul to the devil in return for the conditions he specified in a contract. One of these conditions is that the demon Mephastophilis will be his servant. Therefore, it could be argued that Faustus is more powerful than Mephastophilis. However, throughout the play the contrary is proven. Not only does Mephastophilis have more power over Faustus, he also leads Faustus to believe that it is Faustus who has the most authority. Even though creating this illusion for Faustus was not his original intention, it is evident that Mephastophilis does try to persuade Faustus into thinking he is all-powerful over Mephastophilis as the play proceeds. This essay will show that Mephastophilis can easily create the illusion that Faustus has more power over him than he has over Faustus, due to Faustus’ desire for power

Later on in the play when Faustus tries to repent, Mephastophilis admonishes him. In this scene Mephastophilis does not interfere, which proves that he is attempting to gain Faustus’ confidence and make him feel like he is superior.
Mephastophilis also extorts the information he has about Faustus. He does this by providing him with books Faustus did not ask for but which Mephastophilis knew he would be delighted to have (ll. 5.156). Moreover, by doing so he gives Faustus ideas for first requests that Mephastophilis can perform, giving Faustus a feeling of authority. He fortifies this feeling by submissively obeying Faustus’ orders. He continues to carry out every task Faustus gives him without