Doctor Faustus Act 3, Scene 3 Summary

  • Robin and Dick enter, carrying a cup.
  • Robin tells Dick that he hopes his devil can get them out of trouble for stealing the cup, since the tavern-keeper follows hard at their heels.
  • Sure enough, here comes the tavern-keeper, demanding that these two hooligans hand over the stolen cup. 
  • In a hilarious moment, Robin and Dick pass it back and forth between themselves as the tavern-keeper searches them. This is funny stuff, Shmoopers, so be sure to check this scene out for yourself.
  • Finally, Robin produces the cup, and the tavern-keeper curses them both and demands they hand it over.
  • But they've got something else in mind. Robin has Dick draw him a circle, and calls the devils Demogorgon, Belcher, and Mephistopheles.
  • Uh oh. Mephistopheles enters, irritated to be summoned by these fools. Don't they know he has bigger fish to fry?
  • Robin offers him some supper and a few coins for his trouble, and says they called him as a joke (presumably to freak out the tavern-keeper?).
  • A joke? Really? They joked with the devil?
  • In retaliation, Mephistopheles transforms Dick into an ape, and Robin into a dog, then returns to Faustus, who's still busy on his European adventures.