The Role the Devil Plays in both Othello and Dr. Faustus Essay

Examine the role the devil plays in both Othello and Dr. Faustus

Dr. Faustus is a play by Christopher Marlowe which was first published in 1604. The play revolves around the central character of Faustus and his thirst for power and knowledge that leads him to sell his soul to the devil in exchange for twenty fours years service from Mephostophilis, a devil who carries out Faustuss demands. The play focuses on the idea of the downfall of those who desire too much, and the damnation which falls on them. Othello, written by William Shakespeare and first published in 1603, is very much as different play to that of Dr. Faustus. Othello is the story of a Moorish general of Venice, whose life is torn apart through deceit and his own faults and insecurities, leading to tragedy. The presence of the devil is quite clear in Dr. Faustus; Faustus makes a deal with Lucifer, and has Mephostophilis, another devil, as his servant. However the presence is not quite as striking in Othello. However what I intend to look at is the possibility of Iago being a representation of the devil throughout the play. To do this I will look at the language of the play, looking at references to the devil and what they can show us. Furthermore I intend to compare the character of Iago with Mephostophilis, looking for comparisons between the two which will highlight the devilish nature of Iago. I will be looking at how the power and control which the two other characters possess shape and the change the lives of other characters, and how they effect the final outcome of the play. Through doing this I hope to prove that the devil is as much a function in Othello as he is in Dr. Faustus, and that how it can be viewed that he runs within Iago and the decisions he makes which lead to tragic ends.

The motives behind Iagos actions in Othello have been something of great debate since the play was written. For a man to commit such heinous crimes resulting in death, and a society pulled apart, his motives can seem rather weak. There are many suggests in the text which suggests at why Iago ruins the lives of so many. Firstly jealously is always considered. Iago comments on his anger that he has been overlooked for the new lieutenant in favour of Michael Cassio. Furthermore the text suggests that Iago has suspicion that Othello has slept with his wife Emilia. Some believe that Iago simply enjoys the sport of ruining Othellos life and is purely evil. There have even been suggestions that there is some homoeroticism towards Othello. However none of these are concrete and there is still debate as to why he would do this. As I have all ready stated, I will be trying to draw evidence out of the play which show how it could be viewed that Iago is in fact the devil, set on ruining these peoples lives. Very early on in the play we see a reference to the devil. Swounds, sir, you are one of those that will not serve God if the devil bid you . Here we see Iago encouraging Brabantio to follow the devil. He is in the midst of revealing to Brabantio his daughters secret marriage to Othello, and urges him to act upon this. Brabantio does listen to what Iago says and follows his advice, seeing Iago putting himself in the place of the devil. We see again Iago referring to himself as the devil in act two scene three. When devils will the blackest sin put in,/ They do suggest at first with heavenly shows,/ As I do now . Again Iago puts himself in the place of the devil, saying how a devil first suggests the wonders of heaven before they commit the blackest sins. This links in with the devil in Dr. Faustus. We see Mephostophilis doing the same thing in act one scene three. And tasted the eternal joys of heaven,/ am not tormented with ten thousand hells/ In being deprivd of everlasting blis s. Mephostophilis acts in the same way as Iago says that devils do, and as Iago himself acts, in talking of the bliss of heaven, right before he gains Faustuss soul. As the play moves along, the other characters too seem to have the devil rubbed off on them through Iago. When Iago plans to get Cassio drunk as part of his master plan, Cassio blames the devil for what has happened. O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name to be known by, let us call thee devil . Cassio sees the devil in wine here and blames it for what has happened. Cassio goes on to say I hath pleased the devil drunkenness to give place the devil wrath . Viewing Iago as the devil, this is a fair overview of what has happened in the play, without Cassio realising it. He has given into Iagos (the devils) attempts to get him drunk so that Iagos (the devils) plan can take its course of action. In can even be seen come the end of the play that Iago too has been turned into a devil. Emilia declares, O, the more angel she, and you the blacker devil! . Emilia recognises Othello as the devil. Perhaps by buying into what Iago has feed him throughout the play and by carrying out the fateful act of murdering Desdemona, Othello has sold his soul to the devil. In doing so he is now destined to serve the devil and become one himself. He final, and most striking, piece of the play which shows Iago in a demonic light comes right at the end of the play. Othello says to Iago, If that thou beest a devil I cannot kill thee at which point he stabs Iago. Iago does not die and replies, I bleed, sir. But not killed . Othello tries to kill Iago but he cannot die, as the fable of the devil goes. Othello has come round to the idea that Iago is in fact the devil when he realises what he has been doing throughout the stretch of the play, and Iago is quick to mockingly insisting that he has not been killed. Even at the end of the play we do not see Iago is still alive despite of these deaths, further signifying that he can not be and is the devil.

I now intend to look at the characters of Iago and Mephostophilis next to each other more carefully and see what similarities can be drawn from them to suggest that they are both agents of the devil. Firstly I will look at the way in which they both use language to control the other characters in doing as they want them to do. In act one scene three of Dr. Faustus we see Mephostophilis warn Faustus of off selling his soul. Leave these frivolous demands he tells Faustus. However there is always a question mark over the sincerity of this, as it becomes apparent that Mephostophilis is keen for Faustus to sell his soul, as we see when his blood clots and he Mephostophilis retrieves the fire to loosen the blood. It seems almost as if Mephostophilis is playing with Faustus when he warns him to leave these demands behind, so that it seems that he is fair to him and is looking out for him, when in reality this is not the case. It is a very similar trick to that which is played by Iago in Othello. He is always keen to portray himself as honest Iago so that he can be trusted and his plan can hatch. This scene in Dr. Faustus works well next to act three scene three of Othello. Here we see Iago implying that something has gone on between Desdemona and Cassio. However he is quick to say, For Michael Cassio, I dare be sworn I think he is honest . This gives his own character more credibility by planting seeds of doubt, whilst all the time covering himself by seeming so trustworthy and non judgemental, in the same way as Mephostophilis plays at acting as if he has genuine concern for Faustus. Another trait which both Iago and Mephostophilis posses is that which sees both of them playing the role of the server, whilst all the time being the ones in control. That I shall wait on Faustus whilst he lives is what Mephostophilis agrees to in exchange for Faustuss soul. However what he chooses to do for Faustus is often not what he asked for and instead Mephostophilis controls how the powers are used. We see Faustus demand a wife; Mephostophilis brings him a devil dressed as a wife to put him off the idea. Iago is lower than Othello in society and in the military ranks. Despite this, throughout the play it is Iago who has all the control in their relationship, manipulating Othello to act and believe what he wants. However right up to the end of the play Iago makes it clear that he is under Othello and that it is not he in command. I bleed, sir, but not killed . Despite so clearly being in control he still calls Othello sir. This can be seen as highlighting the importance of class structure at the time. However it can also be read as a mocking comment, where really Othello is serving him despite what it seems on the surface, in the same way in which Faustus is really serving Mephostophilis. Another similarity between the two is there every presence on the stage in key moments of the play. Throughout Dr. Faustus Mephostophilis is constantly with Faustus, it is when Mephostophilis goes away that we see the good and bad devil appear or Faustus begins to doubt, and they disappear at the entering of Mephostophilis. This seems to be the same with Iago; he is constantly at Othellos side throughout the play, twisting his mind into what he wants him to believe. This constant attachment seems to be a symbol that the devil is now within these characters as we have already seen, and they are unable to shake of their presence as they begin to control them. Of course there are differences over the two devil-like characters. Mephostophilis is bound to act in the way he did, where as it seems as a choice to Iago. What I am suggesting is that if Iago is the devil there would not be a need for the logical motive which seems to be missing from the play. Shakespeare never wrote a play with a devil figure as a main player, despite many devils being put on the stage for all different audiences as John Coxs shows in his text The Devil and the Sacred in English Drama 1359-1642. Perhaps this is the closest which Shakespeare came to this.

A further point which I feel it would be interesting to look as if Iago is the devil in the same way in which Mephostophilis is, does this make Othello the Faustus character of the play? It does seem from first looking at the characters that they are both quite different, however by looking closer at the pair side by side, there certainly are some comparisons which can support the idea that they are both ran by the devil. Faustus becomes a victim of his own vanity and over reaching. He aims for something which is out of his reach and with this brings himself down. Othellos downfall is quite different. He seems to be ripped apart form the inside by Iagos scheming. He did not ask for the help of the devil in the way in which Faustus did and he did not sell his soul. However by looking closer there are some similarities between the pairs. Firstly Othello can be seen as an over-reacher. He is resented for the power he has gained as a moor in the military by Iago. He also can be accused of over-reaching in love with his marriage to Desdemona. When the marriage is first discovered, everybody is up in arms about the whole affair and it takes both Othello and Desdemona to talk them around. This highlights the social taboo connected to the marriage at the time. Without this over-achieving, the resentment of Iago would not have grown and would not have lead to his eventual downfall. Furthermore there is also a vanity to Othello, as there is with Faustus, which can not be overlooked. When he discovers and the supposed affair between Cassio and Desdemona he is disgusted by the smear on his name. We see at the end of the play how he is concerned with how he is going to be remember and the name he leaves behind, Then must speak of one that love not wisely but too well . Even in his dying breaths he is keen to have a untarnished name and not be remembered as a bad man. This similar fault in them as people which allows for them to be taken over by the devil is something which links them. There is something in both Faustus and Othello which makes them both be overcome by seeing something which they believe to be true to overcome them. For Othello it is the handkerchief which he gave his wife, seeing Cassio with this is enough proof for him. In times when Faustus considers what he is doing Mephostophilis summons devils to woo him. This shows to me the way in which both men have been overcome by the devil, their rationality has gone out the window and they are both seduced by seeing something in front of them and taking it to mean something, whether this be the infidelity of their wife or the power which it is capable of them achieving.

From looking at a play that came from the same era as Othello, in fact there was only a year differences in when they was published, I believe that there is enough evidence to set up a substantial argument that Iagos character in the play is a representation of the devil. There is plenty of evidence of references to the devil in the play concerning Iago, which I have discussed, and there are the comparisons between Iago and Mephostophilis, and Othello and Faustus which all support this claim. For me I found the more I looked at the references of the devil in the play, the clearer it became that this there is a distinct possibility that this is the role in which Iago plays in the play. By looking at him next to Mephostophilis, this showed me the early modern drama expectations of the devil and how Iago could be fitted into this, in the same way in which Othello could be fitted in with Faustus and those who franchised with the devil. One thing that I found ultimately very interesting was the sympathy which Mephostophilis has been shown as a character. He does at times warn Faustus away form what he is doing, he does not what Faustus to suffer the same fate as himself. Mephostophilis himself is damned also, and speaks of the horrors of hell, declaring why this is hell, nor am I out of it. He can not escape from the hell in his life as it will always be with him. For him hell is to know the wonders of heaven and losing them. This damnation and the harrowing sadness of Mephostophilis, having lost something so wonderful and the regret he shows about it, does make him a sympathetic character. Unfortunately the same can not be said about Iago. He seems motiveless and does not ever show any remorse for what he has done. Othello proclaims Will you, I pray, demand the demi-devil/ Why he hath thus ensnared my soul and body? Othello begs for some reasoning for what has happened, and again refers to Othello as the devil and talks of how he has taken over his body and soul. However Iago simply replies, Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth I never will speak word . In his last line of the play, Iago has the chance to repent or at least give some mercy to Othello however he refuses. There is no sympathy which can be felt for Iago. This puts him lower than Mephostophilis. He appears worse than a genuine devil which appears on stage, surely showing his demonic nature.