Geothe's Faust is similar in many ways to both Dante's Inferno and Milton's Paradise Lost. The obvious similarity is the way each work refers to evil or Hell. Other similarities include how the villains of two of these epics are the more likable characters, and the use of classical and Christian mythology in each poem. Faust faces evil when he makes a deal with Mephistopheles, or Satan. This pact stipulates that Mephistopheles will give Faust everything he wants in exchange for his (Faust's) soul. Inferno is a journey through Hell. Dante is led by his guide Virgil through the frozen parts of Hell, to the center of the earth, while climbing on Satan's legs to Paradise. Paradise Lost is about how Satan just gets kicked out of Heaven and gets used to his surroundings, which is a more traditional furnace-like hell different from the one in Inferno. Mephistopheles, who is supposedly Satan, in Faust, and the Satan portrayed in Paradise Lost are the most sympathetic characters in these plays. Faust seems more of a villain than Mephistopheles, which is very ironic. Satan is considered an evil and manipulative demon, but Mephistopheles is not quite like that. He manipulates Faust in some ways, such as with Faust's contract selling his soul, but Mephistopheles has little more power than a normal person. Furthermore, at the beginning of the play, when he talks to the Lord, he does not act serious at all. He actually tells the Lord that he likes Sunday because of the "peace and quiet." In Paradise Lost, Satan makes God seem more evil than (Satan) himself. Satan implies that God is some kind of slaveholder and that it would be "better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven." They are considered the most likable characters because... at the center of the card... your willingness to ask for forgiveness) and the actions you have taken. He also uses symbolism through the characters in the play to express the nature of man. It implies that man has the power to know the difference and choose between good and evil, but because man is imperfect he is bound to make mistakes. He implies that since the supreme sin is to place oneself on the same level as God, pious people who judge other people, thinking they are superior to them, place themselves dangerously close to being equal to God in the presumption of having the power to judge . people. This shows hypocrisy because these people believe they are following God exactly but in fact they are going too far and committing one of the worst sins one can commit. Geothe seems to imply all of these things and more based on your personal interpretation of the work.