Mr. Shadwell Character Analysis in Good Omens

Shadwell is the last remaining Witchfinder Sergeant of the English Witchfinder’s Army (WA), which is an organization that both Aziraphale and Crowley employ to help them with their work on Earth. A small, cantankerous old man, Shadwell speaks in an accent that’s impossible to place and is constantly grimy. He survives on cigarettes and cans of condensed milk, and he takes his job as a witch-finder extremely seriously. But although he’s deadly serious about exorcizing evil from the world, to others he seems pitiable, lovable, and in need of looking after. This is why Newt decides to stick with his job as Witchfinder Private, and why Madame Tracy prepares Shadwell’s Sunday dinner for him every week despite Shadwell’s taunts (he refers to her as the Whore of Babylon). Shadwell thinks of himself as the only competent person in the world and humorously despises “Southerners” (that is, everyone who isn’t him). As the last remaining Witchfinder Sergeant, Shadwell believes it’s his duty to keep the tradition of the WA alive. To do this, he fabricates the existence of around 500 other witch-finders, unbeknownst to Aziraphale and Crowley. Shadwell gets wrapped up in the quest to stop Armageddon (the end of the world) when he sends Newt to investigate the suspiciously perfect weather in Tadfield. And, when he becomes concerned for Newt’s safety, seeks out Aziraphale for financial help so that he can follow Newt. When Shadwell comes upon Aziraphale communicating with the Metatron, he manages to send Aziraphale back to Heaven. But later, he’s enraged to discover that Aziraphale is inhabiting Madame Tracy’s body. However, when Aziraphale dangles the prospect of killing “THE witch” (that is, the Antichrist) in front of Shadwell, Shadwell agrees to help. Following Armageddon, Shadwell agrees to move with Madame Tracy to the country, and he retires from the WA.

Mr. Shadwell Quotes in Good Omens

The Good Omens quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Shadwell or refer to Mr. Shadwell. 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:

“I thought the churches...” Newt began.

“Pah!” said Shadwell. [...] “Churches? What good did they ever do? They’m just as bad. Same line o’ business, nearly. You can’t trust them to stamp out the Evil One, ‘cos if they did, they’d be out o’ that line o’ business. If yer goin’ up against a tiger, ye don’t want fellow travelers whose idea of huntin’ is tae throw meat at it. Nay, lad. It’s up to us. Against the darkness.”

Related Characters: Mr. Shadwell (speaker), Newton “Newt” Pulsifer (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 165

Explanation and Analysis:

Early in his employment under Mr. Shadwell at the Witchfinder’s Army (WA), Newt asks if the churches aren’t the WA’s allies in stamping out witchcraft and evil around the world. In Shadwell’s understanding, however, the churches have nothing to offer the WA—religion’s existence depends upon the continued existence of evil in the world. Shadwell’s assessment makes it clear that it takes a combination of things that people consider good and evil to make the world an interesting place and make life worth living. He sees the existence of the church as a bad thing, but he puts his finger on Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi

“Tye yt well,” she said to the astonished witchfinder. And then, as the villagers sidled toward the pyre, she raised her handsome head in the firelight and said, “Gather ye ryte close, goode people. Come close untyl the fire near scorch ye, for I charge ye that alle must see how thee last true wytch in England dies. For wytch I am, for soe I am judgéd, yette I knoe not what my true Cryme may be. And therefore let myne death be a messuage to the worlde. Gather ye ryte close, I saye, and marke well the fate of alle who meddle with such as theye do notte understande.”

And, apparently, she smiled and looked up at the sky over the village and added, “That goes for you as welle, yowe daft old foole.”

Related Characters: Agnes Nutter (speaker), God, Mr. Shadwell, Newton “Newt” Pulsifer

Page Number and Citation: 185

Explanation and Analysis:

This passage addresses the circumstances surrounding Agnes Nutter’s execution in the mid-1600s. Modern-day witch-finder Newt Pulsifer’s ancestor, Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery Pulsifer, burned her at the stake for the crime of being witchcraft. As a prophet—the only one to ever come up with entirely correct predictions—Agnes foretold her own death. So, in considering this passage, it’s important to keep in mind that Agnes knew exactly how her words and actions would impact people. In her address to the villagers, Agnes makes it clear that in her opinion, being a witch isn’t a crime that warrants being burned at the stake—and indeed, isn’t a Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum. Omnis vel voluptatum. Assumenda officia maiores. Voluptatem sint velit. Quod quia sapiente. Cum sunt quo. Accusamus veritatis voluptatum. Rerum est et. Aut autem sit. Soluta dolor fuga. Debitis ut est. Inventore qui voluptas. Velit corporis saepe. Distinctio veritatis enim. Natus inventore perspiciatis. Eaque labore vel. Libero sunt eum. Est libero qu

Mr. Shadwell Character Timeline in Good Omens

The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Shadwell appears in Good Omens. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...Gazette and decided to call. A Madame Tracy answered and, after some confusion, called Mr. Shadwell to the phone. Shadwell asked how many nipples Newt has (two) and if he has... (full context)

...phenomena. As Newt cuts another article, he hears a thump on the door. He lets Shadwell in, and Shadwell dumps his massive stack of newspapers. He snarls that his landlord, Mr.... (full context)

Shadwell grandly tells Newt how he was recruited to the army: his cellmate was in prison... (full context)

When Newt first joined the WA, it didn’t take him long to realize that Shadwell is mentally unstable. The WA headquarters is filthy and run-down, but Newt sticks with it... (full context)

Newt pushes a pile of clippings toward Shadwell. They all mention unexplainable phenomena, but since disappearing nuclear reactors and the discovery of Atlantis... (full context)

Just after Newt leaves, the phone rings again: it’s Crowley, giving Shadwell the same instructions that Aziraphale did. Neither Crowley nor Aziraphale run the Witchfinder Army, but... (full context)

Meanwhile, Shadwell confirms that Newt has his supplies, including his bell, book, and candle. Most important is... (full context)

An hour after leaving the WA, Newt pulls over and tosses several of Shadwell’s items into the bushes. He keeps the military issue items, like the pin (for jabbing... (full context)

...message. The toad then it leads its fellows back to the saucer. Newt can’t tell Shadwell about this, since he forgot to count the aliens’ nipples. (full context)

Shadwell, busy bringing the WA books up to date, hears a ping. Newt’s pin is no... (full context)

...he isn’t alone. Suddenly, Aziraphale hears a noise behind him and turns around to find Shadwell, trembling with excitement. (full context)

Shadwell saw everything and knows that Aziraphale is using him. Aziraphale hangs up on Crowley as... (full context)

...flat for a while, waiting for the end of the world. He tried to call Shadwell for an update, but Madame Tracy informed him that Shadwell was out. (full context)

Madame Tracy hears Shadwell coming up the stairs more slowly than usual. Though he protests, she leads him into... (full context)

Shadwell is dreaming that he’s watching Agnes walk to the pyre. She says something that Shadwell... (full context)

Back in Madame Tracy’s flat, Aziraphale asks Shadwell if he’s familiar with the Book of Revelation. Shadwell isn’t—he only cares about one Bible... (full context)

Madame Tracy, Shadwell, and Aziraphale weave in and out of stopped traffic at about five miles per hour.... (full context)

Meanwhile, Aziraphale points the Antichrist out to Shadwell, sounding uncertain. War tells Adam that he’s part of them, while Pollution says that they’re... (full context)

...not right to be two people. Aziraphale is suddenly sitting next to Madame Tracy, and Shadwell looks jealously at him. Crowley gloomily says that people think wars start because a duke... (full context)

...whale should be a dead whale. Aziraphale suggests he and Crowley take Madame Tracy and Shadwell to dinner, and Adam tells the Them that it’s time to get home. Newt gently... (full context)

Shadwell pushes between Crowley and Aziraphale, waving the Thundergun—he doesn’t trust “two Southern nancy boys” to... (full context)

Shadwell has followed the same Sunday routine for the last decade: he reads books in the... (full context)

Mr. Shadwell Character Analysis

Mr. Shadwell Quotes in Good Omens

Friday Quotes

Saturday Quotes

Mr. Shadwell Character Timeline in Good Omens