Faustus is presented as a greedy character in this scene as all he wants is material wealth, he has shown signs in earlier scenes of being greedy and seeking more than he is worth “A greater subject fitteth Faustus’ wit” this shows he wants to be challenged by greater things than Galen and Aristotle, but that he also wants to gain more material possessions as well. Also Faustus thinks that he is in control of Mephastophilis as he is ordering him about “fetch me one, for I will have one.” Faustus now thinks that because he has signed his soul away he can do whatever he wants and he thinks he has power over Mephastophilis, but the truth is he does not, he was given that power by Lucifer and is now a servant of him, he is not “as great as Lucifer” like he thinks.
The signing of the deed is really foreboding of Faustus’s downfall because his “blood congeals and I can write no more” This could be interpreted as a sign from god telling Faustus not to sign the contract. Mephastophilis however is quick to get some fire in order for Faustus to sign the contract, this could be imagery of the fires of hell, and the pain that Faustus would feel from firstly cutting himself and then burning himself be a comparison of the “torture” that he will have to endure for eternity when his tweny-four years are up.
Faustus signs his “body and soul” over to Lucifer in order to gain what Faustus thinks is power for twenty-four years. The length of the time he has power for compared to the length of time a soul lasts, shows how greedy Faustus actually is, because if he is willing to be tortured for eternity and in return gain only twenty-four years of power by selling his soul, it shows that Faustus is not as smart as he thinks he is.
Mephastophilis is really vague in his description of hell; he says that it is “under the heavens” which Faustus knew anyway and also “where we are tortured and remain forever”, also a fact that Faustus already knew, this shows already that his ‘power’ is not all the great already as he is being told information that he already knows. The vague description is also foreboding because Faustus has already signed his soul over to the Devil and therefore that is where he will remain for the rest of eternity after his twenty-four years are up However it could be interpreted that Mephastophilis’s lack of description could be out of fear of the place, that it is too horrible to describe any further than vague details.
Personally I think that scene five of Dr. Faustus is very important because this is where Faustus’ fatal flaw of greed is really shown. Not only that, but he thinks that “god loves thee not” this shows that he is willing to go to the devil in order to gain material power that he has never gained in his live of being a ‘godly’ person.
