#Faust and Mephistopheles

[mysterious-secret-garden]

Franz Xaver Simm - Illustrations of Goethe's ''Faust''. Mephistopheles ensnares Faust with sweet dream figures.

[themuseumwithoutwalls]

MWW Artwork of the Day (10/6/22) Ary Scheffer (Dutch, 1795-1858) Faust and Mephistopheles (1848) Oil on canvas, 133 x 88.9 cm. Private Collection

One of the leading painters of the Romantic movement, Scheffer was strongly inspired by literary themes, drawn in particular from Dante, Byron and Goethe.  Goethe's "Faust," which was also treated by other Romantic painters such as Eugène Delacroix and Gustave Doré, provided Scheffer with a rich vein of inspiration for almost 30 years, and was the subject of eight major compositions by the artist. The present work depicts Faust in study, striking his infamous bargain with the devil, Mephistopheles, to whom he relinquished his soul in exchange for magic powers. It was painted two years after Scheffer's last Salon submission, Faust and Marguerite in the Garden, exhibited in 1846. Scheffer's depiction of Mephistopheles is here particularly demonic, stressing his claw like fingers, red eyes and wrinkled features, as he waits patiently for Faust to ponder his ultimately fatal decision.

[the-evil-clergyman]

"Methinks, a million fools in choir are raving and will never tire", from Goethe's Faust by Harry Clarke (1927)

[buruhas]

It's a corridor.

[airitree]

Would you make a deal with him?

[weirdlookindog]

Faust aux enfers (1903)

[aquitainequeen]

Just in case you needed any more reminders of what crazy geniuses Henry Irving and the folks at the Lyceum Theatre were.

[illustratus]

The Game of Life - by Friedrich August Moritz Retzsch

[sictransitgloriamvndi]

[blleackki]

[mysterious-secret-garden]

Eugène Delacroix - Faust and Mephistopheles on the Blocksberg, 1826.

[hellfire-rose]

Mephi Lore- Faustian Deals

[the-evil-clergyman]

Illustrations from Goethe's Faust by Jean-Paul Laurens (1887)

[majestativa]

Mephistopheles and Faust walked in spirit by my side.

— Henrikas Radauskas, Perfection of Exile: Fourteen Contemporary Lithuanian Writers, (1970)

[drconstellation]

When Crowley met Jesus, and the other demon at Golgotha

You know the scene. 33AD. Aziraphale is watching the crucifixion take place and certain fem-presenting demon sidles up to him.

Aziraphale greets them, and finds out they have changed their name.

"What is it now?" he asks them. " Mephistopheles? Asmodeus?"

I know most you have learnt by now that Asmodeus is the demon of lust, and this is obviously Aziraphale's idea of a flirty little joke (perhaps the first we see? because he's the one who's really as "mad as bag of frogs" after all and that's why Crowley's made an appearance, because he was probably just in the area, you know...), but I haven't seen or come across much meta about the first suggested name, which is a GO "lead balloon" moment.

Mephistopheles, Aziraphale? That's the name you thought of here? Of all places? jfc...you bad, bad angel! lmoa! This is a serious, sombre situation you are witnessing!

Mephistopheles is the name of the fictional demon sent to do a deal with the character Faust in a story that dates back to Germany in the early 1500s. Faust was a like a scientist in his day, well educated in things like alchemy and astrology and other mystical arts, maybe even having wizard powers (why not?) But he was hungry for more power so he did a deal with the devil for 24 years of assistance to achieve and gain anything he desired, and at the end of that time he would be claimed by Hell. Needless to say, despite starting off well it didn't have a happy ending. (I wont go into details as there are lots of variants, and its not that short, and they aren't all that relevant to the point of the post.)

It has been a hugely influential story ever since, appearing in many forms over the years; in opera, theater, movies, novels, adaptations such as Oscar Wilde's The Portrait of Dorian Grey, and Queen's famous song Bohemian Rhapsody. Terry Pratchett also did a parody of it in his 1990 book Eric, and readers have often noted the similarity to the Hell depicted there to the Hell in GO.

Its the origin of the idiom "to do a deal with the devil" and a Faustian bargain. The mortals that enter into the deal with a powerful supernatural entity are usually set up to fail, and we go along with it because we are so used to the trope, its one we've come to expect the bargainer to fail in some spectacular fashion. It's one that keeps being repeated again and again because it so interesting to explore - often the protagonist is looking for some form of happiness, sometimes revenge, and hopes the deal will deliver, but find out the hard way that they should be careful what they wish for because the delivery is a two-edged sword. They may find out that they don't actually want what they thought they wanted, or they get what they want in an very unexpected way.

Back to Golgotha, and our demon and angel. We learn the demon has merely modified their name to Crowley. And yes, they met Jesus.

C: "Seemed a very bright young man. I showed him all the kingdoms of the world."

A: "Why?"

C: "He's a carpenter from Galilee, his travel opportunities are limited."

This is a reference to one of the the tests of faith Jesus was put through before his crucifixion, from the Book of Matthew.

I like this modern version I found:

For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.” Jesus’ refusal was curt: “Beat it, Satan!” He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.” The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus’ needs. Matthew 4:8-11 The Message

Or, you could say: Crowley showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, and offered the bargain that he could rule them all if he would renounce God and worship Satan instead, but Jesus just turned to the demonic messenger and simply told him to "fuck off!"

And there we have it, folks. Mephistopheles, and Asmodeus. Touche, Aziraphale, you sly little shit stirrer.

[shredsandpatches]

fellas...

(John Relyea as Mefistofele and Joshua Guerrero as Faust in Mefistofele, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, November 2023)