Doctor Faustus : Characters
Doctor Faustus is a notable literary work by Christopher Marlowe. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Doctor Faustus.
Characters
Doctor Faustus – Doctor Faustus is a brilliant scholar. But he wants more knowledge and power. He wants to be powerful like God. He is not happy with normal learning, so he uses magic to become great. But Faustus makes a big mistake by selling his soul to the devil, in exchange for 24 years of unlimited power and knowledge. Even when he gets chances to repent, he does not. In the end, his pride and wrong choices led to his tragic death.
Mephistophilis/Mephistopheles – A devil who serves Lucifer and becomes Faustus’s servant after the deal.
Lucifer – The leader of the devils (Satan), who accepts Faustus’s soul. He ensures Faustus never repents.
Wagner – Faustus’s loyal servant. He tries to copy his master’s magic and bullies a clown into serving him
The Good Angel – The Good Angel is a spirit who appears on stage. The Good Angel tells Faustus to stop practising magic and return to God. The Good Angel is the symbol of Faustus’s conscience, which tells him to stay away from sin.
The Evil Angel – The Evil Angel is a spirit who appears on stage. The Evil Angel tells Faustus to continue with black magic and enjoy honour and wealth. The Evil Angel stands for Faustus’s pride, greed, and temptation.
Valdes and Cornelius – Two magicians who introduce Faustus to black magic and encourage him to pursue it.
The Old Man – A wise and religious man tells Faustus to repent. But Faustus does not listen.
The Chorus – A narrator who introduces and concludes the play. He explains the moral lesson of Faustus’s story.
Robin and Rafe – Two comic characters who steal Faustus’s magic book and try to use it for silly tricks.
The Scholars – Friends of Faustus, who respect his intelligence but later mourn his tragic fate.
The Pope – The head of the Catholic Church. Faustus teases and slaps him by going invisible.
Emperor Carolus V (Charles V) – The Roman Emperor who invites Faustus to perform magic tricks at his court.
Knight (Benvolio) – A rude knight at the Emperor’s court who mocks Faustus. Because of this, Faustus punishes him with horns on his head.
Duke and Duchess of Vanholt – A noble couple whom Faustus impresses by magically bringing grapes in winter.
Helen of Troy – A spirit summoned by Faustus. Helen reminds us of Faustus’s obsession with worldly beauty and pleasure.
Horse-Courser – A foolish man who buys a magical horse from Faustus. The horse disappears when it goes into the water.