In the scene where Faustus conjures the demon Mephistopheles, it is undeniable that the demon isn't the sinister, evil character we expected. Instead what I found interesting, is that Faustus might actually possess more of the qualities, and act in the way the audience may have expected the demon to act. It's Faustus who dismisses the value of the soul, and needs no persuasion to sell it to Lucifer. I'm sure at the time an audience would consider the soul to have value, and unexpectedly, it's Mephistopheles who stresses the importance of the 'glorious soul', and doesn't try and persuade Faustus to sell it, as I would of expected him to. It's as if the roles have changed, and Faustus is acting more 'devilish' than the demon.
The demon seems to act more as a friendly devil (like Hannah's drawing), almost directing Faustus towards good and not evil. "O Faustus, leave these frivolous demands". Maybe Marlowe is trying to highlight just how evil and how much of a baddy Faustus is, as even a demon seems good compared to him!
Also, when Faustus arrogantly ADVISES a demon to act with more "manly fortitude" as he does, this could be seen to be something a demon would say, because apparently the Christian view "is that any strength of will of the individual may display derives directly from God"
Yet Faustus is suggesting his fortitude comes from him not God, suggesting he is as good, or better than God, which the Devil is meant to think.
No comments:
Post a Comment