Battle of the Conscience (aka The Shoulder Angels)
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Some of the most intriguing characters for me, in Doctor Faustus, were the good and bad angels acting as Faustus' conscience. I picture the shoulder angel's on his shoulder battling out the right and wrong choice, in this case they are battling over Faustus' soul. Every time these angels appear it is at a point where Faustus is debating whether he can repent his sins and contract with the devil. The Good Angel tries to get Faustus to repent, while the Bad Angel influences him that it is too late to repent and be forgiven. So, that is the big question in Doctor Faustus; When is it too late to save your soul, and repent your sins? Based on his story, Doctor Faustus seems to be getting played by the Bad Angel. He believes that it is too late to repent his sins, but doesn't that seem obvious? Why wouldn't the Bad angel want him to believe that? Isn't that what they do? It's evil's way of controlling and manipulating a victim. On the other hand, the Good Angel tries to tell Doctor Faustus, that he is able to repent his sins, but he chooses to believe the Bad Angel instead. My interpretation of Faustus' actions, his dismissal of the good and the acceptance of the bad, is that maybe he was all to willing to be affected by evil. Faustus made the decision based on what he really wanted more than what he probably believed.
How easy it is to be influenced by the Bad Angel. We use these "shoulder angels" in our modern to represent the conscience, Watching that inner battle is interesting, and often, in our, time comical. Like Faustus, the Bad Angel often is the winner, who easily persuades the villain or character to make the bad choice. In this video, from The Emperor's New Groove, once again the Bad Angel wins out, but the battle a fight between the two angel's are one of my favorite representations of the conscience battling. While most the time the visual aids we get are a little funny, Faustus' consequence is tragic, with the payment being the loss of his soul and the decent into Hell.
First off, I love the picture and video you chose for this blog. They are very fitting! Indeed, I agree with you when you say that it was quite obvious that the bad angel would try and persuade Faustus in the evil direction, but this, I believe, is the reason why Faustus was not going to be allowed to repent after his second encounter with the good and bad angel. I think he was given plenty of chances and his choice to ignore the obvious, was also him saying "this is what I choose."
I really like the connection you made between Faustus and The Emperor's New Groove. I couldn't make the connection on my own because, as I was reading the play, I could only see the good and bad angels as just man sized actors in red and white robes (maybe with a halo and horns on, respectively). But after you pointed it out, I can't unsee it now, you know? And, just for the records, Kronk's spinach puffs are awesome even though they're completely fictional.
This is an interesting take on the good and bad angels. I just don't see why Faustus never repented. He never even tried. The good angel told him not to give up hope, but it was already lost to begin with.
First off, I love the picture and video you chose for this blog. They are very fitting! Indeed, I agree with you when you say that it was quite obvious that the bad angel would try and persuade Faustus in the evil direction, but this, I believe, is the reason why Faustus was not going to be allowed to repent after his second encounter with the good and bad angel. I think he was given plenty of chances and his choice to ignore the obvious, was also him saying "this is what I choose."
ReplyDeleteI really like the connection you made between Faustus and The Emperor's New Groove. I couldn't make the connection on my own because, as I was reading the play, I could only see the good and bad angels as just man sized actors in red and white robes (maybe with a halo and horns on, respectively). But after you pointed it out, I can't unsee it now, you know? And, just for the records, Kronk's spinach puffs are awesome even though they're completely fictional.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting take on the good and bad angels. I just don't see why Faustus never repented. He never even tried. The good angel told him not to give up hope, but it was already lost to begin with.
ReplyDelete