Shadowhunters, Season One

     Like Doctor Faustus, episode four, “Raising Hell,” of Shadowhunters shows a demon being summoned and “demonic desire” (Cox 30). This is shown when Magnus Bane summons the Valek demon for Clary Fairchild, Jace Herondale and Alec and Isabelle Lightwood. Furthermore, Magnus summons the Valek demon, to help Clary get her memories back so that she can find her mother, Jocelyn, who was taken by Valentine Morgenstern. In addition, Shadowhunters shows a form of “demonic desire” (Cox 30) when the Valek demon desires payment for Clary’s memories, which Magnus took from her at her mother’s insistence to keep her from knowing about her true identity as a Shadowhunter (Shadowhunters: 1.04).

     However, it is not just the demons being summoned in both of these text that are similar, it is how they are summoned. In Doctor Faustus, Faustus, draws a “circle” (Marlowe 3.8; Sofer 14)  in which to summon Mephostophilis in. This is described in the lines, “within this circle is Jehovah’s name/Forward and backward anagrammatiz’d” (Marlowe 3.8-9). While in “Raising Hell,” Magnus has Clary draw a pentagram inside of a circle for the Valek demon to appear in (Shadowhunters: 1.04). Once she has done this, each person: Clary, Jace, Magnus, Alec and Isabelle, stand on one of the five points and join hands to form a circle (Shadowhunters: 1.04).

     Additionally, Faustus uses “Latin” (Sofer 14) when he summons Mephostophilis. This is shown in the lines, “Orientis princeps Lucifer, Beelzebub inferni ardentis monarcha, et/ Demogorgon, propitiamus vos ut appareat et surgat/ Mephostophilis” (Marlowe 3.18-20) and Veni, veni, Mephostophilis” (Marlowe 5.30). Like Faustus, Magnus also “chants in "Latin” (TV Tropes: Shadowhunters), to summon the Valek demon (Shadowhunters: 1.04). In both of these texts, the demons appear shortly thereafter.

     Also, like the demon Mephostophilis who desires Faustus “soul” (Cox 30; Marlowe 5.73), “What will not I do to obtain his soul” (Cox 29; Marlowe 5.73), the Valek demon has a “desire” (Cox 29-30) of his own (Shadowhunters: 1.04). Here, the Valek demons’ demand is, “a beloved memory of the one we love the most” (Shadowhunters: 1.04), instead of each of their souls (Shadowhunters: 1.04). Regardless of this difference between these two demons, both demons “desire” (Cox 29-30) something from the one that summons them. Furthermore, in each case they end up taking what they want.

     For instance, Mephostophilis ends up, along with his master, Lucifer taking Faustus' “soul” (Cox 30; Marlowe 5.73). While in Shadowhunters, the Valek demon succeeds in getting a memory from almost each character (Shadowhunters: 1.04). The only reason the Valek demon does not succeed, is because Alec, breaks the bond after seeing a memory of Jace and becoming afraid that people will think he is homosexual and attracted to Jace (Shadowhunters: 1.04). After the bond is broken, Jace gets hurt and Clary ends up killing the Valek demon to stop it from hurting anyone else and not getting her memories back (Shadowhunters: 1.04). With that said, however, the Valek demon does succeed in getting almost everyone’s memories and would have succeeded if the bond had not been broken (Shadowhunters: 1.04).

     While both of these texts are different, they have the similarities of a demon summoned and a form of “demonic desire” (Cox 30). This is shown by how both texts use a “circle” (Marlowe 3.8; Shadowhunters: 1.04; Sofer 14) and “Latin” (Sofer 14; TV Tropes: Shadowhunters) in order to summon a demon. Also, both texts have a form of “demonic desire” (Cox 30), albeit in different ways and in both cases, the demons succeed in getting what they want. Furthermore, in each case it is shown that the characters are summoning these demons, in order to make deals to get what they want. Faustus to get knowledge, power, worldly goods and the service of Mephostophilis. While in the Shadowhunters episode, it is shown that Magnus summoned the Valek demon to help Clary get her memories back and Clary sacrificed her memories to save her friends when she killed the Valek demon (Shadowhunters: 1.04).

     Yet, in each case, these deals do not go according to plan and have a larger impact on the characters. Faustus ends up being damned, "Ugly hell, gape not! Come not, Lucifer/I’ll burn my books! —Ah, Mephostophilis” (Marlowe 19.189-190).  While Clary permanently loses her memories of the Shadow World Jocelyn had Magnus take from her (Shadowhunters: 1.04). From this, one can gather that these deals always come with a consequence to the one that makes them. In some cases, such as the one with the Valek demon (Shadowhunters: 1.04), the consequences come to the demon as well.