CHARACTERS OF

DR FAUSTUS
By Jawad Ahmed, Ghulam Muhammad and Sain Dino
Dr Faustus (The protagonist);
■ Faustus is a brilliant sixteenth-century scholar from Wittenberg,
Germany, whose ambition for knowledge, wealth, and worldly might
makes him willing to pay the ultimate price—his soul—to Lucifer in
exchange for supernatural powers. Faustus’s initial tragic grandeur is
diminished by the fact that he never seems completely sure of the
decision to forfeit his soul and constantly wavers about weather or not to
repent. His ambition is admirable and initially awesome, yet he
ultimately lacks a certain inner strength. He is unable to embrace his
dark path wholeheartedly but is also unwilling to admit his mistake.
Mephostophilis;
Mephostophilis;
■ A devil whom Faustus summons with his initial magical experiments.
Mephostophilis’s motivations are ambiguous: on the one hand, his
oft-expressed goal is to catch Faustus’s soul and carry it off to hell;
on the other hand, he actively attempts to dissuade Faustus from
making a deal with Lucifer by warning him about the horrors of
hell. Mephastophilis is ultimately as tragic a figure as Faustus, with
his moving, regretful accounts of what the devils have lost in their
eternal separation from God and his repeated reflections on the pain
that comes with damnation.
Robin & Rafe;
Robin;
■ An ostler, or innkeeper, who, like the clown, provides a
comic contrast to Faustus. Robin and his friend Rafe learn
some basic conjuring, demonstrating that even the least
scholarly can possess skill in magic. Marlowe includes
Robin and Rafe to illustrate Faustus’s degradation as he
submits to simple trickery such as theirs.
Now Ghulam Muhammad’s turn….
Lucifer;
■ The Prince of the devils, Lucifer was once an angel of God who was cost out of
heaven with other Rebel angles because of their pride and Insolence. Lucifer
authorizes the deal between Faustus & Mephostophilis.

■ If Mephostophilis is conflicted evil , Lucifer shows no such weaknesses or signs

of remorse for having been cast out of heaven.

■ When Faustus cries upon the name of Christ, Lucifer comes, as though
Mephostophilis is not crafty enough in such argent cases.

■ Lucifer masterly prevents Faustus from turning back to God at key points in
the story.
Wagner ;
■ Faustus servant & eventual heir of his fortunes, Wagner is a pale reflection of Faustus ;
he displays a nature to similar his master, even trying to obtain his own servant through
the practice of magic.

■ Wagner's background is not known, but it is clear from his language & demeanor that he
is a young servant who looks up to Faustus.

■ Wagner tries to imitate Faustus in many ways, in the way he talks & even in his taking up
of magic.

■ Wagner is Faustus 'image bearing progeny . That he inherits Faustus ' fortunes suggests
he might even be of physical progeny. At several points, Wagner acts as a narrator, filling
gaps in the story.
Clown ;
A poor, beggar like character, the clown is threatened by
Wagner to be his servant .when the clown refuses, Wagner
conjures up some spirits to scare him. The clown follows
Wagner but asks the Wagner to teach him magic.
Seven Deadly sins;
■ At the behest of Lucifer, pride, Courteousness, Wrath, Envy,
■ Gluttony, Sloth , & Lechery appears before Faustus.
■ Faustus is delighted by their presence.
Old Man;
 The old man appears to Faustus in order to convince him to
repent & turn to God .
 A contrast to Faustus, the old man keeps his faith even though
persecution from devils.
Now Sain Dino’s turn…
Good Angel;
■ An agent of God who appears in pair with the Evil Angel, the good Angel tries
to make Faustus think about God & heavenly things. The Good Angel
represents the good side in the good /dichotomy. In the literary senses, the Good
Angel reflect the good side of Faustus conscience, for Marlowe their to show
that Faustus, like every human being has two natures ,both Good & Bad .

■ What the Good Angel says mirrors what Faustus Good nature is thinking thus,
the interchanges between the Good Angel & Evil Angel reveal Faustus inter
struggle with himself. The Good Angel main message to Faustus is that it's
never too late to turn to God.
Evil Angel;
■ An agent of Lucifer who appears in pairs with the Good Angel, the Evil Angel tries
to keep Faustus focused on power, wealth, & worldly pleasures. In direct contrast
to the Good Angel, the Evil Angel reflects the Evil side of Faustus conscience, for
Marlowe tries to show that Faustus, like every human being has two natures, both
Good & Bad.

■ What the Evil Angel says mirrors what Faustus Evil nature is thinking. Thus the
interchanges between the Good Angel &the Evil Angel reveal Faustus inner
struggles with himself.

■ The Evil Angel main message to Faustus is that God will not accept his repentance.
Chorus;
■ A stage & literary device associated with Greek tragedy the
chorus narrates & fills in parts of the story.

Valdes & Cornelius;

■ Friends of Faustus ,they are reputed to be practitioners of magic.
Faustus calls on them to teach him the black arts.

■ Valdes & Cornelius tell Faustus that with his wit , he will be
powerful, & together they will be famous all over the world.
Two scholars;
■ Faustus fellow colleagues at the university , that are concerned
that he has not around.

■ They ask Wagner about Faustus whereabouts. When they find

out Faustus has been with Valdes & Cornelius, they decide to
tell the Rector of the University.
THE END