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These two angels appear on-stage when Faustus wavers in his decision to give his soul to Lucifer and considers repenting. The Good Angel encourages him to seek God's mercy and tells him that it is never too late to do so. The Evil Angel persuades Faustus not to repent, arguing that he is too damned to ever be able to return to god and so he should just keep indulging his desire for knowledge, power, and enjoyment. The angels can be seen as symbolizing the opposing pulls of sin and repentance, or the opposing sides of Faustus' own conscience. However, they also have a presence as actual entities, real angels on the stage.
The Good and Evil Angels Quotes in Doctor Faustus
The Doctor Faustus quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Good and Evil Angels. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Scene 1
Quotes
O Faustus, lay that damned book aside,
And gaze not on it, lest it tempt thy soul,
And heap God's heavy wrath upon thy head. (70-72)
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Scene 5
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Never too late, if Faustus will repent. (254)
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Scene 12
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Ah stay, good Faustus, stay thy desperate steps!
I see an angel hovers o'er thy head
And with a vial full of precious grace
Offers to pour the same into thy soul!
Then call for mercy, and avoid despair. (42-47)
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Accursed Faustus, where is mercy now?
I do repent, and yet I do despair:
Hell strives with grace for conquest in my breast! (53-55)
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