Paradise Losts Satan and The Grand Inquisitors Evil

Evil’s origin begins with Adam and Eve using their special gift, free will, to commit the first sin. They sinned because they were tempted from the free will to choose between following or disobeying God’s orders. Paradise Lost is an epic written by John Milton that describes the fallen angel Satan and the fall of man. The Grand Inquisitor by Fyodor Dostoevsky is about an archbishop who talks with Jesus and wants to burn him as a heretic. Paradise Lost and The Grand Inquisitor both discuss free will and the stories of two benevolent characters that use their free will to choose evil. In Paradise Lost and The Grand Inquisitor, the main characters Satan and the Grand Inquisitor are evil because they use free will to choose evil over good.†¦show more content†¦His perseverance to serve God’s word makes him very similar to Satan. Both Satan and the Grand Inquisitor brandished how they were virtuous supporters. Once benevolent beings, Satan and the Grand I nquisitor soon turns toward evil. Satan and the Grand Inquisitor’s plight from good to evil begin with their desire for power. In the case with Satan, he desires to overthrow God’s kingdom and make it his own. Satan is prideful and ambitious and decides to attempt overthrowing God. â€Å"If he opposed; and with ambitious aim against the throne and monarchy of God, raised impious war in Heaven and battle proud.† (Milton, 41-43, Book I). By defying God, Satan conveys a message that says he wants God’s throne. His desire for power turns him into an evil being fighting against the obedient servants of God. The Grand Inquisitor’s ambition is similar aside the fact that he wants to take power away from Jesus. He wants power taken away from Jesus because he believes that Jesus doesn’t know deserve the power to control people by his teachings. â€Å"Oh we shall persuade them that they will only become free when they renounce their freedom to us and submit to us.† (Dostoevsky, 239) The Grand Inquisitor believes that Jesus was wrong in deserting his followers so the Grand Inquisitor turns to evil. The Grand Inquisitor’s step towards evil truly begins when he places himself in Jesus’ role in preaching and follows Satan instead. His desire for power shows the