Mephistopheles

Lore & Background

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the era of witch hunts peaked in Europe, and the Devil remained a prominent fixture in literature throughout the medieval and early modern periods. Once the idea of Satan's 'metaphysical existence' seemed less pressing, he became a symbol in literature representing evil characters, evil meanings, corruption, etc. Sometimes, authors had a more sympathetic depiction of Satan, which would later be called the Romantic Devil. Those who believed in pantheistic mysticism—the belief that an individual experiences a mystical union with the divine, believing that God and the universe are one—often held that the angels fell from Heaven because they loved beauty and wanted to have Heaven for themselves. Goethe's Mephistopheles has been highly influential.

Reader's Guide

Mephistopheles is seen as Hell's messenger, making him the servant of the Devil. In the Faust legend, he plays the roles of trickster, liar, cheater, and negotiator, making deals for souls, although he can also be intelligent, ironic, and charming. Mephistopheles can shapeshift into any animal, person, knight, etc., through magic and illusion. He is the opponent of beauty and freedom, and he causes the death of the individuals and works to ruin lives. The name Mephistopheles is a corrupted Greek compound. Three possible meanings have been proposed: 'not loving light' or 'not a friend of light'; 'not loving Faust' or 'not a friend of Faust'; or mephitic, pertaining to poisonous vapors arising from pools, caverns, and springs. However, in the Faustbuch he was called Mephostophiles; the name Mephistopheles was coined and popularised by Goethe. In The Merry Wives of Windsor (Act 1, Scene 1), Shakespeare used the name in the form of 'Mephostophilus' or 'Mephistophilus' as an insult. Mephistopheles became a part of magical or demonological lore through a Renaissance humanist interpretation of Greek and Latin classical texts. In the drama Faust, written in two parts by J.W. von Goethe, Mephistopheles appears as cold-hearted, humorous, and ironic.

Did You Know?

• The name Mephistopheles is a corrupted Greek compound with three possible meanings: 'not loving light', 'not loving Faust', or mephitic (poisonous vapors).
• In The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare used the name as an insult between two characters.
• In Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, Mephistopheles laments the loss of his happiness and being shunned from God, adding psychological depth.