The Hitchhikers Guide to Demonology
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Demons represent a lot of the same things that are often depicted in Gothic literature and art- a grotesque reality that’s starkly different from anything that’s even remotely idealistic. Demons are the epitome of evil, an omen of perpetual pain and suffering, and are undoubtedly supernatural. Demons also make for a great symbol for personifying inner turmoil and strife, bringing to life the idea of grappling with one’s own shortcomings and insecurities for the sake of understanding and betterment.
WHAT IS A DEMON? The Engrafted Word Church offers a concise and useful definition: A demon is a disembodied spirit of malevolent (evil) power and assignment, seeking to hinder God’s plans and destroy man’s life. They work to make God look like a liar. There are countless demons and they know their time is short. Their captain is Satan, formerly know as Lucifer.
Lucifer
Lucifer is the Devil, pulled from the Bible. Similar to Faustus, he also wanted to be all knowing and as powerful as God- but this led to him and his followers being banished to hell. In Faustus, he finds the same desire for knowledge and power and uses it as a leverage against Faustus to get his soul.
Lucifer’s name is Latin, and it means “Light Bringer” or “the morning star”
However, this isn’t the only name for the devil. Another popular name is of course Satan. But what (if anything) is the difference? Here's a fun comparison.
AN ORIGIN STORY
Satan is a created being.
He was once the most anointed angel, the chief of angels, “the anointed cherub that covereth,” beautiful, full of wisdom, perfect from his creation.
He was Heaven’s worship leader.
He was lifted up in pride, became filled with violence, corrupted his wisdom, and defiled his sanctuaries.
Therefore, God called him profane and cast him out of the mountain of God and promised to destroy him. God cast him to the ground and promised to bring forth a fire from the midst of Lucifer and devour him.
Lucifer’s sin began in his heart. He had five “I wills”: 1) I will ascend into Heaven, 2) I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, 3) I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, 4) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, 5) I will be like the most High.
His rebellion lasted a split-‐second, for he was cast out of Heaven like a bolt of lightning.
Satan took a third of the angels with him in his rebellion.
He is still a cunning and violent creature. He is defeated, but he is not to be contended with in the strength of man. Even Michael the archangel did not contend with him in his own strength, but said “The Lord rebuke you” (Jude 9).
Common symbols that are associated with the devil
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the pentacle (which is the symbol that Faust draws to summon Mephistopheles)
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an upside down crucifix (though this is different from the Cross of St. Peter)
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the number 666 (which in the Gospel of John is the verse when many of Christ’s followers turn away from his teachings)
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serpents (because that’s what the devil appears as in the Temptation of Man)
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goats (in many Bible stories when Jesus tells a parable He will use goats to symbolize undesirables/those destined for hell. It’s the same reason why the left side/hand/etc. gets a bad rep).
Given that he’s the embodiment of all evil, Lucifer/Satan has made many, many appearances over the centuries in stories, movies, books, and TV shows. Some humanize him, others go drastically in the other direction, but all of them depict him as a deceitful and untrustworthy (I can’t imagine why)
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Big Think on Satan and representations of the devil in literature
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The devil in literature by Maxamilian Rudwin
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
In our version of Faust, Lucifer is double cast as the chorus, which is the character that sets up the audience’s perspective on the show, similar to a narrator. So… Possible unreliable narrator?
Mephistopheles
This is the main demon that our show deals with, and he’s no stranger to appearing in literature and folklore- specifically German literature and folklore. His breakout role was in the Faust legend Faustbuch (translates to “Faust Book”), which was a fictionalized version of the real Doctor Faustus’ life. Marlowe then included him in his staged version of Doctor Faustus, and from there he went on to be a staple in German folklore as well as included in the wider use of demons in stories.
The main power that is associated with Mephistopheles is the ability to shapeshift. He is also seen controlling the elements, dark magic, immortality, and in some of the non Faust stories he can also control minds and bend reality
MODERN VERSIONS OF MEPHISTOPHELES
In both literal and inspirational form, the character has appeared in many different works. Just of few of them are:
-Ghost Rider (comic and film adaptation)
-Ursula in The Little Mermaid
-Mephisto in the Marvel Universe
-And who can forget this gem...
Welcome to the Hellmouth, We’ve Got Fun And Games…
Hellmouths were entrances to Hell that took the form of a giant, monstrous mouth. But seriously, these things were kind of weird. They were seen both in paintings/sculptures and also as actual physical things that people could go into/experience. They were created in order to instill obedience to the Church by showing what would happen to non-believers and sinners after they died. Inside of the hellmouth would usually be some sort of depiction of demons inflicting bodily punishment and/or torture on the souls that didn’t repent.
The hellmouth, set design from Il Pomo D'Oro, artist: Mathäus Küsel (German, 1621–1682)
Seven Deadly Sins
PRIDE is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise.
ENVY is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation.
GLUTTONY is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.
LUST is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.
WRATH is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Anger.
GREED is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.
SLOTH is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.
Mystery and Morality Plays- What They Were and How They Influenced Faust
Mystery plays are plays that come out of the middle ages and were depictions of Bible stories, usually accompanied by some sort of antiphonal music. These plays were staged in cycles that could last several days as they cycled through the various parts of the Bible. The main purpose of these plays was to glorify God through a physical depiction/staging of the Bible.
On the other hand, the other popular style of theatre in the middle ages was the Morality play. Similar to the Mystery play, morality plays were very heavily influenced by religion and were condoned by the Church in order to promote their values. Unlike Mystery Plays, however, Morality Plays were not grounded in any particular Bible story or featured Bible characters. Instead, Morality Plays chose to focus on staging abstract concepts like virtues and vices in stories concerned with vague, trope-like characters who often learned some sort of moral by the end of the play.
Crash Course Mystery Plays
Liturgical drama more broadly
Mystery Plays according to the History of York Foundation
Britannica on Morality Plays
Morality Plays Characteristics and Examples
Influences of Medieval Morality and Mystery Plays in Dr. Faustus
Similar to Mystery plays, Doctor Faustus depicts Biblical characters that would have been familiar to its contemporary audience/anybody familiar with a Christian Bible. However, unlike Mystery Plays, these characters weren’t biblical heroes but were instead the Devil and his demons.
As for Morality Plays, Doctor Faustus borrows a lot more from them in direct reference to structure and characters. While there are specific human characters who are more fleshed out than the tropes that would have been seen in Morality Plays, this script emulates Morality Plays in the sense that the main character is faced with some sort of theological battle for his soul. This is twisted though in that Faustus himself does not triumph. Doctor Faustus also personifies the Seven Deadly sins as characters, which is something that parallels the way that virtues were personified in Morality Plays.
Another fun little tidbit is the fact that when Mephistopheles chases a character out using fireworks, this is recalling the way that Demons were depicted in Hellmouths and Middle Ages Theatre- armed with firecrackers.
Critically Analyzing Faustus as a Renaissance or Medieval Hero