"There are cries, sobs, confusion among the people, and at that moment the cardinal himself, the Grand Inquisitor, passes by the cathedral. He is an old man, almost ninety, tall and erect, with a withered face and sunken eyes, in which there is still a gleam of light. He is not dressed in his gorgeous cardinal's robes, as he was the day before, when he was burning the enemies of the Roman Church- at this moment he is wearing his coarse, old, monk's cassock. At a distance behind him come his gloomy assistants and slaves and the 'holy guard.' He stops at the sight of the crowd and watches it from a distance. He sees everything; he sees them set the coffin down at His feet, sees the child rise up, and his face darkens. He knits his thick grey brows and his eyes gleam with a sinister fire. He holds out his finger and bids the guards take Him. And such is his power, so completely are the people cowed into submission and trembling obedience to him, that the crowd immediately makes way for the guards, and in the midst of deathlike silence they lay hands on Him and lead him away. The crowd instantly bows down to the earth, like one man, before the old Inquisitor. He blesses the people in silence and passes on' The guards lead their prisoner to the close, gloomy vaulted prison- in the ancient palace of the Holy, inquisition and shut him in it. The day passes and is followed by the dark, burning, 'breathless' night of Seville. The air is 'fragrant with laurel and lemon.' In the pitch darkness the iron door of the prison is suddenly opened and the Grand Inquisitor himself comes in with a light in his hand. He is alone; the door is closed at once behind him. He stands in the doorway and for a minute or two gazes into His face. At last he goes up slowly, sets the light on the table and speaks. "'Is it Thou? Thou?' but receiving no answer, he adds at once. 'Don't answer, be silent. What canst Thou say, indeed? I know too well what Thou wouldst say. And Thou hast no right to add anything to what Thou hadst said of old. Why, then, art Thou come to hinder us? For Thou hast come to hinder us, and Thou knowest that. But dost thou know what will be to-morrow? I know not who Thou art and care not to know whether it is Thou or only a semblance of Him, but to-morrow I shall condemn Thee and burn Thee at the stake as the worst of heretics. And the very people who have to-day kissed Thy feet, to-morrow at the faintest sign from me will rush to heap up the embers of Thy fire. Knowest Thou that? Yes, maybe Thou knowest it,' he added with thoughtful penetration, never for a moment taking his eyes off the Prisoner."
I believe that this passage is especially fine for various reasons. Dostoevsky is able to really classify the characters through his descriptive writing. We are shown how the Grand Inquisitor uses “clout” or brute force as a way of “controlling” the mindless people of that time period. This message is delivered through Ivan who explains his prose poem, “The Grand Inquisitor.” The chapter begins with an introduction of how things used to be, “plays, many stories and ‘poems’ circulated all over the world at that time, in which saints, and even the supreme heavenly powers appeared "whenever their presence was required”. The story of the Grand Inquisitor takes place in Spain, in Seville during the grimmest days of the Inquisition, where Christ appears, apparently reborn on Earth. Great details are used when Christ is first introduced in this story, he embodies some of the characteristics of a ruler with “clout” as “people are drawn to Him by an irresistible force”, although his force is not similar to that of the Grand Inquisitor; “The Grand Inquisitor’s power is so great and the people are so submissive and tremblingly obedient to him”. This use of contrast really outlines the difference the impact the characters have on the society. The impact of the passage lies in the detailed physical descriptions of the characters. The details of the Grand Inquisitor allows oneself to immediately understand why he was such a high respected figure of his time. "He knits his thick grey brows and his eyes gleam with a sinister fire." It is evident that the Grand Inquisitor is not a friendly man, even more so when all he has to do is, "hold out his finger and bids the guards take Him" and Christ is arrested. This passage really catches my eye as fine prose because it really puts you in the situation, regardless of whether you have any comprehension of the Catholic faith. No matter what your background, through the use of descriptive words and scenes, Dostoevsky is able transport you to this time period.
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