In Faust Part I, Mephistopheles serves as both a literal and figurative representation of the devil. Faust recites an incantation to summon Mephistopheles because he is bored with life and he sees spirits and devils as a release from this boredom. The reader is given one of their first glimpses at what kind of character Mephistopheles is when Faust asks Mephistopheles who he is. Mephistopheles replies: “Part of a power that would alone work evil, but engenders good,” (75). This reveals an important characteristic of Mephistopheles’ brand of evil, he will not directly harm Faust. Mephistopheles will give Faust what he wants, to be exposed to the cheap joys of life, but it will be Faust who causes his own downfall. Another aspect of Mephistopheles…show more content… Lord Henry is portrayed as a hedonistic realist, thinking that the ultimate goal of life is to enjoy your life as much as possible. While Basil and Lord Henry are having dinner, Basil asks Lord Henry what “good’ is. Lord Henry responds: “‘To be good is to be in harmony with one's self,’ he replied, touching the thin stem of his glass with his pale, fine-pointed fingers. ‘Discord is to be forced to be in harmony with others. One's own life – that is the important thing.’” Lord Henry see the moral quandary of life not as a struggle between good and evil, but rather as a struggle between the self and society. He thinks that as humans we only have an obligation to ourselves to enjoy life, not to be kind to others or to conform to what society wants us to do. This idea truly solidifies Lord Henry into the devil character later in the novel. When Dorian and Lord Henry are discussing Basil’s disappearance, Lord Henry comments: “Basil was really rather dull. He interested me once, and that was when he told me, years ago, that he had a wild adoration for you,”. (251) This quote shows the true extent of Lord Henry’s devilish hedonism. He was once very close to Basil, but he is now able to toss him off to the side, claiming that his only purpose to Lord Henry was to get closer to Dorian. This rapid disregard for human closeness is a true representation of Lord Henry’s extreme hedonism which has
