By Christopher Marlowe
Dr. Faustus is a popular novel published in 1604, by one of the biggest playwrights of Elizabethan Age after Shakespeare.
In this article I am going to highlights some of the major characters of Dr. Faustus
Major Character: Dr. Faustus, Mephastophilis, chorus, old man, good angel, evil angel, Lucifer, Wagner clown, Robin, Rafe, Valdes and Cornelius, Horse courser, the scholars, the pope, emperor Charles V, knight, Bruno, Duke, of Vanholt, Martino and Fredrick.
Character introduction
Dr. Faustus:- The main character or protagonist is Dr. Faustus, who is a brilliant 16th century scholar form Wittenberg, Germany. His ambition for knowledge, wealth and worldly makes him to pay the ultimate price of his soul to lucifer in exchange for supernatural powers.
Faustus’s initial tragic grandeur is dimension by the fact he never seems completely sure of his decision to forfeit his soul and constantly wavers about whether 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.
Mephastophilis:- A Devil whom Faustus summons with his initial magical expression meant Mephistopheles ‘s motivation are ambiguous on the hand, his oft-expressed goal is to catch Faustus 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 Mephistopheles hills is with- mately as tragic figure as Faustus, with his moving regretful accounts of what the devils have last in their eternal separation from god and his repeated reflection on the pain that comes with damnation.
Chorus:- A character who stand outside the story, providing narration and come entry. The chorus was customary in Greek tragedy.
Old Man:- An enigmatic figure who appears in the final scene. The old man urges Faustus to repent and to ask god of for mercy. He seems to replace the good and evil angels who in the first scene they to influence Faustus’s behavior.
Good Angel:- A spirit that urges Faustus to repent for his pact with lucifer and return to good angel with the old man and the bad angel, the good angel represents in many ways Faustus omniscience and divided will b/w good and evil.
Evil angel:- A spirit that serves as the counterpart to the good angel and provides Faustus with reasons not to repent for sins against god the evil angel represents the evil half of Faustus’s conscience.
Lucifer: The prince of devils, the ruler of hell, and Mephastophilis masters.
Clown:- Clown, who becomes wagon’s servant. The clown’s antic provides comic relief, he is a ridiculous character, and his absurd behavior initially contrasts with Faustus’s grandeur and as the play goes on Faustus’s behaviors comes to resemble that of the clown.
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 passes skill in magic. Marlowe includes Robin and Rafe to illustrate Faustus’s degradation as he submits to simple trickery such as theirs.
Rafe:- An Ostler and a friend of Robin who appears in the play as Dick.
Valdes and Cornelius:- Tow friends of Faustus, both are magicians, who teach him (Faustus) the art of black magic.
Horse or Courser:- A horse trader who buys a horse from Faustus, which vanishes after the horse rides on it into the water leading, him to seek revenge.
The scholars:- Faustus’s colleagues at the university of Wittenberg, loyal to Faustus. They appear at the beginning and at the end of the play.
The Pope:- The head of the Roman Catholic church and a powerful political figure in the Europe of Faustus’s day. The pope serves as both a source of amusement for the play’s protestants audience and a symbol of the religions faith that Faustus has rejected.
Emperor Charles V:- The most powerful monarch in Europe, whose court Faustus visits.
Knight: A German nobleman at the emperor, s court.
Bruno: A candidate for the papacy, supported by the emperor. He is captured by the Pope and freed by Faustus.
Duke of Vanholt:- A German nobleman whom Faustus visits.
Martino and Fredrick:- Friends of Benrolio, who reluctantly join his attempt to kill Faustus.
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