After Faustus summons Mephostophilis, he seems to quite flippant towards holy things, and even orders the devils to change. He tells Mephostophilis to ‘return and old Franciscan friar, that holy shape becomes a devil best’. The first thing Faustus does when he summons Mephostophilis is ask questions, showing his inquisitive mind and reinforcing the image of him as a scholar.
Faustus sees himself as indebted to Mephostophilis for ‘by him I’ll be a great emperor of the world.’
In Act 2, the good and bad angels return as a demonstration of both of Faustus’ opinions. Because Faustus is such a sensual person, he is more inclined to listen to the bad angel, which appeals to his material side. Faustus is unsure of his own decision and he pounces on anything that could be construed as a sign to him to stop in the selling of his soul. When he writes the bill damning his soul, and the blood congeals, Faustus wonders ‘what might the staying of my blood portend?’ Faustus questions Mephostophilis, who cleverly sidesteps each question and appeals to Faustus’ sensual side by showing him a visual display of dancing devils and fireworks.
Faustus is keen to believe in heaven but not in hell. Even though Faustus called to hell, and Mephostophilis is standing in front him as proof of the existence of hell, he does not truly believe his soul will be damned. He dismisses hell as ‘trifles and mere old wives tales.’
Faustus’ sensual side, suggested earlier in the play by his language, is openly admitted in Act 2 when Faustus tells Mephopstophilis he is ‘wanton and lascivious and cannot live without a wife.’
Faustus also asks Mephostophilis for the books with all the knowledge in the world. This is more proof of his scholarly side. The devils that visit Faustus are aware of how much he relies on his senses and use this to their advantage, showing Faustus things that will bring him material pleasure, distracting him from repentance. Faustus confuses his body with soul, and even at the end of the play, he cannot distinguish the difference, and here Faustus claims the sight of the Seven Deadly Sins ‘doth delight my soul’. In Acts 3 and 4 Faustus demonstrates just how trivial his powers are. He plays tricks and has fun, rather than changing the world or doing anything significant with his powers.
In Act 5, Faustus death is looming. He seems to be more relaxed and less sarcastic towards other people, particularly his friends. He is less concerned with personal gain and make Helen of Troy appear for the other scholars. Faustus distressed mental state is shown by his changeability. At first he welcomes the old man as ‘friend’ but then later asks Mephostophilis to ‘torment..that base and aged man’. Even in his final hours, Faustus still turns to material and beautiful things. He conjures Helen of Troy and pleads with her to save him, which is ironic as she is conjured, and a devil. Faustus’ pleading becomes increasingly desperate and he says he would give up everything for being saved. Even ‘that I had never seen Wittenberg, never read book’. His very last offer to Lucifer is ‘I will burn my books!’ This shows his desperation as this would be the ultimate sacrifice for Faustus, the ultimate scholar.
Throughout the play, my sympathy for Faustus varies in intensity. I feel most sympathy in the final scene, when he wishes to repent, but cannot. However, it is difficult to conjure up much sympathy for Faustus as he brought his fate on himself. He had opportunities to redeem himself and rejected them time and time again. He cannot be classed as a tragic hero as he has too many faults. Faustus is arrogant, vain, materialistic, and naïve. All these characteristics eventually lead to his downfall.
