October 2022 Prep Docs (Adherennium)

Day 14- Character: Antagonist's Profile

The Devil

Maurice's shadow, appears as a middle aged and balding man of ill humour. World weary, and cynical, the Devil has a low opinion of everyone, and expects the worst of them. Especially he appears to expect Maurice to fail, and as such represents Maurice's own fears. When Maurice enters the Theatre of Magic, and is guided by Hermes Trismegistus into three tasks for three wishes, the Devil plays an active part, together with his associates, in providing the difficulty in achieving each task.

The Devil appears older and more careworn than Maurice to represent Maurice's fears that life is passing him by, in effect being the worst case scenario of what Maurice will become. He is however not an entirely negative part of Maurice. His energies need to be harnessed, and not denied or eliminated.

The Devil appears to get no particular pleasure from opposing Maurice, though some of his associates most definitely do. Sometimes his opposition is more in the way of suggesting that Maurice do nothing, 'why bother'. It is this inaction and lack of energy that Philomena must overcome to get Maurice firing on all cylinders.

The character must be seen as personal to Maurice, not the wider or more general Devil. He is not the ruler of hell etc. etc. He is a Jungian Shadow, and as such a part of what might become an integrated person at some point.