Faustus- The protagonist of the story, Doctor Faustus is the 16th-century scientist whose desire to acquire knowledge led him to sell his soul to the devil in exchange for unlimited access to everything and beyond.
Mephastophilis- He is the 'spirit' that Faustus summoned from the underworld to carry out his wishes.
Valdes and Cornelius- They are the two friends of Doctor Faustus who taught him about sorcery or black magic.
Three scholars- they are the colleagues from the University of Wittenberg, who remain loyal to Faustus.
Lucifer- The 'fallen angel, the ruler of "Hell" and Mephastophilis's master.
Wagner- He is the servant of Faustus who used his master's book to practice his own spells.
Clown- He is Wagner's servant who provides comic relief to the whole play.
Good angel- The good angel presses Faustus to abandon his evil intentions and repent, reminding him that God is ready to forgive.
Evil angel- The anti-figure for the good angel, encouraging and enticing Faustus to submit his soul to the devil.
The pope- The head of the Catholic Church but also acts as a source of humor. He is also the anti-figure for the religious belief that Faustus had abandoned.
Horse-courser- He bought a horse from Faustus only to discover that the animal had 'vanished', thereby leading him to seek revenge on Faustus.
Old man- Although appearing only in the final scene, the old man seems to replace the good and bad angel. He appears in the final scene asking Faustus to repent for his sins.
Explanation:
The various characters in Christopher Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus" and their brief descriptions are given as below-
Faustus- The protagonist of the story, Doctor Faustus is the 16th-century scientist whose desire to acquire knowledge led him to sell his soul to the devil in exchange for unlimited access to everything and beyond.
Mephastophilis- He is the 'spirit' that Faustus summoned from the underworld to carry out his wishes.
Valdes and Cornelius- They are the two friends of Doctor Faustus who taught him about sorcery or black magic.
Three scholars- they are the colleagues from the University of Wittenberg, who remain loyal to Faustus.
Lucifer- The 'fallen angel, the ruler of "Hell" and Mephastophilis's master.
Wagner- He is the servant of Faustus who used his master's book to practice his own spells.
Clown- He is Wagner's servant who provides comic relief to the whole play.
Good angel- The good angel presses Faustus to abandon his evil intentions and repent, reminding him that God is ready to forgive.
Evil angel- The anti-figure for the good angel, encouraging and enticing Faustus to submit his soul to the devil.
The pope- The head of the Catholic Church but also acts as a source of humor. He is also the anti-figure for the religious belief that Faustus had abandoned.
Horse-courser- He bought a horse from Faustus only to discover that the animal had 'vanished', thereby leading him to seek revenge on Faustus.
Old man- Although appearing only in the final scene, the old man seems to replace the good and bad angel. He appears in the final scene asking Faustus to repent for his sins.
