The legend of the extra Devil, Faustus.

Dr Faustus would have been an extremely controversial performance of the time due to it's use of the devil. As many people would have been strongly religious the idea of going to watch a play involving the devil where the devil was summoned to take some ones soul would have been really terrifying.

In early performances of the play around 1590's it was rumoured that someone had seen an extra devil on stage, not an actor either but the real devil. This spurred fear and controversy amongst the audience and actors and it was also rumoured that this extra devil was present in more than one performance and witnessed by many individuals. This not only led to rumours of the play being cursed and bewitched but also the curiosity and interest of the general public who wished to see for themselves 'the extra devil' no doubt adding to the popularity of the play and the reputation good or bad amongst people of the time.