Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles[a] (/ˌmɛfɪˈstɒfɪliːz/ MEF-ist-OF-il-eez, German: [mefɪˈstoːfəlɛs] ⓘ), also known as Mephostophilis[1] or Mephisto,[2] is a demon featured in German folklore, and as the chief devil in the Faust legend.[3] He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend and has since become a stock character appearing in other works of arts and popular culture. Mephistopheles is known for being invented in the historical story of Johann Georg Faust. Mephistopheles never became an integral part of traditional magic.[4]
Etymology and name meaning
The name Mephistopheles is a corrupted Greek compound.[5] The Greek
" or "loving" (φίλος, philos) are the first and last terms of the compound, but the middle term is more doubtful. Three possible meanings have been proposed, and three different etymologies have been offered:- "not loving light" (φῶς, phōs; the old form of the name being Mephostopheles)
- "not loving Faust"
- mephitic, pertaining to poisonous vapors arising from pools, caverns, and springs.[5]
Mephistopheles is also appears as a nature spirit, a Naturgeist.[6] Though he is still deemed as evil or rather destructive amongst many scholars.
It is likely that the name was invented for the historical
In the Faust legend
Mephistopheles is associated with the Faust legend of an ambitious scholar, based on the historical
The name appears in the late-sixteenth-century
In the 1725 version, which Goethe read, Mephostophiles is a devil in the form of a greyfriar summoned by Faust in a wood outside Wittenberg.
From the chapbooks, the name entered Faustian literature. Many authors have used it, from Goethe to
Mephistopheles in later treatments of the Faust material frequently figures as a title character: in Meyer Lutz's Mephistopheles, or Faust and Marguerite (1855), Arrigo Boito's Mefistofele (1868), Klaus Mann's Mephisto, and Franz Liszt's Mephisto Waltzes. There are also many parallels with the character of Mephistopheles and the character Lord Henry Wotton in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.[7]
Mephistopheles in Performance
Goethe's Faust
In Goethe's Faust, the role of Mephistopheles is quite complex, and Josef Kainz describes the role as one of the most significant challenges for an actor in world theater. The character constantly changes in tone throughout the play, giving the character a feeling of minor to no consistency in performance on stage. When Mephisto first meets Faust, he describes how his spirit being “Nothing” conflicts with the world’s spirit of “Something” (Part I Scene III, 1362-1366). The devil is in constant conflict with the world he is placed into, which explains the fluctuation of roles Mephisto portrays on the stage or screen. For an actor to play Goethe's Mephisto, they are called upon to embody this “Nothing” and disconnect themselves from the “Something” that makes them earthly. To achieve this characterization, actors are encouraged to be dramatic and rough in tone and gestures, contradicting traditional elements of classical theater. [8]
Interpretations
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Although Mephistopheles appears to Faustus as a demon – a worker for Lucifer – critics claim that he does not search for men to corrupt, but comes to serve and ultimately collect the souls of those who are already damned. Farnham explains, "Nor does Mephistophiles first appear to Faustus as a devil who walks up and down on earth to tempt and corrupt any man encountered. He appears because he senses in Faustus' magical summons that Faustus is already corrupt, that indeed he is already 'in danger to be damned'."[9]
Mephistopheles is already trapped in his own Hell by serving the Devil. He warns Faustus of the choice he is making by "selling his soul" to the devil: "Mephistophilis, an agent of Lucifer, appears and at first advises Faust not to forego the promise of heaven to pursue his goals".[10] Farnham adds to his theory, "...[Faustus] enters an ever-present private hell like that of Mephistophiles".[11]
Outside the Faust legend
William Shakespeare mentions "Mephistophilus" in The Merry Wives of Windsor (Act I, Scene I, line 128), and by the 17th century the name became independent of the Faust legend.[12]
See also
- Beelzebub
- Devil in Christianity
- Prince of Darkness
- Satan
- Mephiskapheles, Ska band whose name is a play on Mephistopheles
- Mr. Mistoffelees, a character from the musical Cats
- Servant, television series
- Mephisto (Marvel Comics) a character from Marvel Comics based on the Demon.
Notes
- ^ Variants of the name include: Mephistophilus, Mephostopheles, Mephistophilis, Mephastophilis, Mephastophiles and others
References
- ISBN 978-1-57113-162-1.
- ^ Encyclopedia Britannica. 20 July 1998.
- ^ "Definition of MEPHISTOPHELES". www.merriam-webster.com. 2025-02-17. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
- ^ "Mephistopheles | Faust, Demon, Devil | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
- ^ a b Snider, Denton Jaques (1886). Goethe's Faust: A commentary. Sigma. pp. 132–133.
- doi:10.2307/25600562.
- ^ {{Cite He is also interpreted as a mysterious figure in the movie Ghostrider. web|url=https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/english/currentstudents/undergraduate/modules/fulllist/special/interdisciplinaryandcreativecollaboration/faustbooks/doriangray/%7Ctitle = The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1891)}}
- ISBN 978-1-879751-49-1.
- ISBN 978-0132163095.
- The Gale Group: 202.
- ^ Krstovic & Lazzardi 1999, p. 8
- ^ Burton Russell 1992, p. 61 8. "Call Me Little Sunshine" by heavy-metal band Ghost 2022
Bibliography
- Russell, Jeffrey Burton (1986). Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World (1990 reprint ed.). Ithaca, New York: Cornell. ISBN 978-0-8014-9718-6.
- Goethe, Johann Wolfgang Von (2001). Hamlin, Cyrus (ed.). Faust: A Tragedy; Interpretive Notes, Contexts, Modern Criticism (Norton Critical ed.). New York, New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-97282-5.
- ISBN 978-0-7509-5090-9.
External links
Quotations related to Mephistopheles at Wikiquote
The dictionary definition of Mephistophelean at Wiktionary
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