x CONCERNING MEPHISTOPHELES 175 



The paradox of Mephisto s combination of cheerfulness 

 with pessimism is thus explained by the recognition of 

 his age and intellectualism. But these very features seem 

 to render more urgent another difficulty. Mephistopheles 

 is far too clear-sighted not to see that all his efforts are 

 futile, that he is ever being overruled by a higher power 

 and turned into another s agent. 



Why then does he persist in his activity ? 



The readiest reply to this would doubtless be Why 

 should he not ? If all things are futile, why one thing 

 more than any other? To a thorough pessimist what 

 does it matter what he does ? 



In general this reply is sound enough, but I hardly 

 think that it explains the peculiar features of this case. 

 I should incline rather to question whether after all it is 

 so sure that Mephistopheles does persist in efforts whose 

 futility he recognises. The answer will depend on how 

 seriously you take him. 



If you take him quite seriously, you must certainly 

 answer Yes. He professes to the end to busy himself 

 with Faust s damnation. But are you intended, or even 

 entitled, to take him seriously ? It seems to me that we 

 have the highest authority for holding that Mephisto is 

 not serious. The Lord himself tells us that Mephisto is 

 the Schalk, the imp or merry-andrew, among fiends 



Von alien Geistern, die verneinen, 



1st mir der Schalk am wenigsten zur Last. 



And throughout the play he acts up to this character. 

 Hatred, gloom, and gravity are foreign to his nature. It 

 was by eschewing these that he escaped from the miseries 

 of his pessimism. He no longer despairs of life, because 

 he has trained himself to laugh at it, forming thus the 

 counterpart of the Lord, der sick das Lachen abgewohnt, 

 who has seen the high seriousness of all things. So 

 Mephistopheles laughs at a world he cannot alter, or 

 abolish. His satisfaction comes from satirising all the 

 world, from the unimpeded exercise of his sarcastic wit. 

 He mocks at God, men and angels, nay, even at professors ! 



