The Origin of Evil begins with Adam and Eve using their special gift, free will, to commit the first sin. They sinned because they were tempted by free will to choose between following or disobeying God's orders. Paradise Lost is an epic poem 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 to 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 who 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. Satan and the Grand Inquisitor initially follow the path of righteousness before being poisoned by evil. They are both stalwarts who were deeply devoted to God in similar ways. Satan was an important angel, as described by the dialogue between the Archangel Raphael and Adam. “Satan, call him that now, his old name is no longer heard in Heaven; he of the first, if not the first Archangel, great in power, in favor and pre-eminence," (Milton, 658-661, Book V) Being one of the most illustrious angels of God, Satan demonstrates his devotion to God by serving him. He is so zealous that he desires to be God's only second in command. Likewise, Satan's dedication to God is like that of the Grand Inquisitor. The Grand Inquisitor served God as a follower and preacher of his word we are on his side and not on yours" (Dostoevsky, 238). The Grand Inquisitor, like the predecessors of the Church, followed the word of God and Jesus for a long time before abandoning God and... ... half of the paper .. .... n. This deception will be our suffering, because we will be forced to lie.” (Dostoevsky, 234) Although the Grand Inquisitor is evil and follows Satan, he does so so that others will be free from him so he can save others. The Grand Inquisitor's reason behind evil is on the opposite spectrum to why Satan chooses evil. Both characters have reasons that justify their right, but the Grand Inquisitor believes he is doing good. Satan from Paradise Lost and The Grand Inquisitor from The Grand Inquisitor choose evil because they were once good beings tempted by the desire for power and their personal goals. They were both ambitious and thought they were doing the right thing by overthrowing the powers above them. Both Satan and the Grand Inquisitor used their free will to do good, but they chose to sin against God, the One who gave them free will.