Homosexual Dynamics Between Mephistopheles and Doctor Faustus

Homosexual Dynamics‭ ‬Between Mephistopheles and Doctor Faustus Serkan Kasapoğlu 2017200213 ‭ ‬An important character relationship in Christopher Marlowe‭’‬s early modern tragedy‭ ‬Doctor Faustus is that of the relationship between Doctor Faustus and Mephistopheles.‭ ‬Doctor Faustus,‭ ‬who is a theologist,‭ ‬is defeated by the sin of pride after starting to think that being a theologist is not enough.‭ ‬He wants to be more than what he is,‭ ‬thus,‭ ‬decides to be a magician and summons Mephistopheles.‭ ‬It is this magic and Mephistopheles that ravish Faustus.‭ ‬Magic as a mean of meeting‭ ‬Mephistopheles with Faustus,‭ ‬and Mephistopheles as the cunning creature that leads him to his damnation. ‭ ‬During his journey,‭ ‬Doctor Faustus is continuously seen as an indecisive character.‭ ‬From this point of view,‭ ‬the play is quite repetitive of itself.‭ ‬Almost in every scene,‭ ‬Faustus decided to repent to God and save himself from damnation but he cannot quit the drug of Mephistopheles.‭ ‬Mephistopheles,‭ ‬with his cunning and slyness,‭ ‬is seen as a character who tries to make Faustus more and more addicted to‭ ‬himself.‭ ‬With all the pleasures he has been providing to his master,‭ ‬Faustus never‭ ‬succeeds in‭ ‬repenting to God.‭ ‬All the awesome stuff he gets by Mephistopheles is just too good to pass up.‭ ‬His desire for those things is far more powerful than his desire for salvation. ‭ ‬The first thing that appeals attractive about Mephistopheles to Doctor Faustus is his appearance.‭ ‬Besides all the will to be powerful and wealthy,‭ ‬we see in Scene‭ ‬5‭ ‬that actually one of the main aims of Doctor Faustus is to be sexually tempted.‭ ‬After having Mephistopheles as his servant,‭ ‬the first thing he asks from him is a wife.‭ ‬He says‭ “…‬let me have a wife,‭ ‬the fairest maid in Germany,‭ ‬for I am wanton and lascivious and cannot live without a wife.‭”‬ (5.142-143‭) ‬He himself admits that he is a wanton and lascivious person,‭ ‬thus,‭ ‬sexual attractions are quite appealing for him.‭ ‬This also makes us understand the reason why he sent Mephistopheles back when he did not like his appearance.‭ ‬When he sees Mephistopheles for the first time,‭ ‬he says‭ “‬I charge thee to return and change thy shape,‭ ‬Thou art too ugly to attend on me.‭ ‬Go,‭ ‬and return an old Franciscan friar,‭ ‬That holy shape becomes a devil best.‭”‬ (3.24-27‭) ‬He wants a servant whose appearance is attractive,‭ ‬however the reason why he wants Mephistopheles to dress like a friar is unknown.‭ ‬Moreover,‭ ‬the reason why Mephistopheles accepts to be dressed up as a holy creature is also ambiguous because in Scene‭ ‬7,‭ ‬Mephistopheles makes it clear that he is against any kind of holiness and anything about heavenly life.‭ ‬In any case,‭ ‬Faustus becomes‭ ‬comfortable with Mephistopheles‭’‬ new appearance and starts to address him as‭ “‬sweet Mephistopheles‭”‬ (5.146‭)‬. ‭ ‬When Mephistopheles is commanded to bring a wife for Faustus,‭ ‬he goes to hell and comes‭ ‬with a devil‭ “‬dressed like a woman‭”‬ (5.149‭)‬.‭ ‬Even though whether angelic or devilish characters in the‭ ‬early‭ ‬modern period were assigned genders or not is unknown,‭ ‬we can see the distinction Marlowe has‭ ‬done here‭ ‬while presenting a devil character‭ “‬dressed like a woman‭”‬.‭ ‬There would be no reason to explicitly presenting the devil as‭ “‬dressed like a woman‭”‬ if the devil was actually female.‭ ‬Also,‭ ‬there would be no gender roles among devilish or angelic characters if there was not any gender assignments in the era.‭ ‬Combining these two arguments‭; ‬firstly,‭ ‬devil not being a woman and secondly,‭ ‬Marlowe assigning gender roles to devilish/angelic characters and also taking into consideration the reality that‭ ‬early‭ ‬modern period is a gender-binary period,‭ ‬the only choice we have is to assume that devil characters in the play are depicted as males.‭ Later on,‭ ‬Mephistopheles asks Faustus whether he liked his wife or not,‭ ‬and Faustus makes it clear that he finds the devil‭ “‬hot‭”‬ (5.151‭)‬.‭ ‬Even though we know that Faustus is an heterosexual character,‭ ‬cunning abilities of Mephistopheles makes a transvestite demon sexually appealing for Faustus.‭ ‬From here,‭ ‬we can also assume that Mephistopheles himself can also be a transvestite and dressing up as a Franciscan friar may be a‭ ‬metaphoric usage for dressing up as a woman as well.‭ ‬Taking into consideration the fact that Mephistopheles is a cunning creature,‭ ‬after his first encounter with Faustus,‭ ‬he can easily understand that appearance is too important for Faustus and because he‭ ‬will do anything to hold Faustus in his hands,‭ ‬he can make himself sexually attractive by looking like a woman. ‭ ‬Even though Faustus finds the transvestite demon hot,‭ ‬he rejects her‭ ‬prompting Mephistopheles to tell‭ ‬him to forget about marriage in favor of‭ ‬sex.‭ ‬His‭ ‬excessive sexual desire is also clear from here.‭ ‬He does not want to be attached to one woman.‭ ‬Mephistopheles supports him saying‭ “‬If thou lovest me,‭ ‬think no more of it.‭”‬ (5.153‭) ‬He flirts with Faustus and states that he will be enough to meet his sexual desires.‭ ‬Even though he wants Mephistopheles to bring him a wife,‭ ‬or let him kiss Helen‭; ‬actually his real love‭ (‬or addiction‭) ‬is no one else than Mephistopheles himself.‭ ‬Mephistopheles makes him addicted to himself by all the pleasures he is providing to Faustus.‭ ‬Sexually,‭ ‬Faustus thinks he holds the power but actually master-servant dynamics are not really valid in this aspect. ‭ ‬One of the dominant ideas throughout the play is the master-servant dynamics between Faustus and Mephistopheles.‭ ‬Faustus‭’‬ main desire is not to be a slave to anything ever.‭ ‬Rather,‭ ‬he wants to be the master in the world in any aspect:‭ ‬political,‭ ‬economical and religious.‭ ‬He sells his soul for having Mephistopheles as his servant for twenty-four years.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬by selling his soul to devil,‭ ‬Faustus is actually not a free person as he thinks he is.‭ ‬He becomes a servant of‭ ‬his pleasures,‭ ‬in other words,‭ ‬Lucifer.‭ ‬Even though Mephistopheles is responsible for fulfilling every command he receives from Faustus,‭ ‬he is not actually‭ ‬the servant of Faustus.‭ ‬He appeals to be a servant and Faustus thinks that way but actually the only master of Mephistopheles is Lucifer‭ ‬as well.‭ ‬In Scene‭ ‬3,‭ ‬Mephistopheles says‭ “‬I am a servant to great Lucifer and may not follow thee without his leave.‭ ‬No more than he commands must we perform.‭”‬ (41-43‭) ‬So,‭ ‬there are paradoxical master-servant dynamics in the play. ‭ ‬To sum up,‭ ‬Faustus brought his own damnation by starting his relationship with Mephistopheles,‭ ‬who makes Faustus addicted to himself in a short time.‭ ‬Mephistopheles,‭ ‬with his cunning and slyness,‭ ‬provides so many pleasures‭ ‬to Faustus‭ ‬that he‭ ‬never succeeds in‭ ‬repenting to God.‭ ‬Mephistopheles can easily understand that appearance is too important for Faustus and he makes himself sexually attractive.‭ ‬This way,‭ ‬even though he appeals to be the servant of Faustus,‭ ‬he actually makes Faustus be the servant of himself sexually.‭ ‬In the‭ ‬end,‭ ‬Faustus says‭ “‬O lente,‭ ‬lente currite noctis equi‭!”‬ (14.71‭) ‬This phrase was quoted from Ovid,‭ ‬Amores and it is a call to prolong the night for love.‭ ‬He wants to continue the pleasure he has been receiving especially from the relationship between him and Mephistopheles.‭ ‬He makes it clear that the main thing he will be in need of is the sexual temptation he has been receiving from Mephistopheles.‭ ‬The last words of Faustus‭ “‬Ah,‭ ‬Mephistopheles‭!”‬ (14.120‭) ‬are also indicators of the will to prolong the sexual temptation.‭ ‬The utterance of the phrase does not convey horror.‭ “‬Earlier analysis of possible homoerotic,‭ ‬or even sodomitical,‭ ‬overtones in Faustus‭’‬s terming Mephistopheles his‭ ‬‘sweet friend‭’‬ suggests that his‭ ‬‘Ah‭’‬ might signal erotic self-surrender.‭” Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England,‭ ‬Volume‭ ‬29,‭ ‬edited by S.P.‭ ‬Cerasano,‭ ‬pg.‭ ‬111.‭ ‬The erotic element of this‭ ‬phrase‭ ‬is Faustus‭’‬ last gesture‭ ‬to‭ ‬“embrace his demon lover‭” Wilbur Sanders,‭ ‬The Dramatist and the Received Idea,‭ ‬Studies in the Plays of‭ ‬Marlowe and Shakespeare‭ (‬Cambridge,‭ ‬1968‭)‬,‭ ‬p.‭ ‬242..