The Grand Inquisitor/Characters

Grushenka

The problems between Dimitri and Fyodor escalate when they both fall in love with the same woman: Grushenka. The quarrel becomes physical, and Dimitri storms out of the house. Ivan asks to meet Alyosha at a local bar to talk. They talk briefly about Dimitri (which is what Alyosha is concerned about), but then Ivan recites the "poem" that he has written, "The Grand Inquisitor".

Smerdyakov and Ivan

Ivan is a respected intellectual, but Smerdyakov is revealed to be highly intellegent in his own right. Smerdyakov has a high amount of respect for Ivan, although that respect is rarely returned. Smerdyakov is an epileptic, and is prone to occasional, debilitating seizures which can last for long periods of time. He also hints occasionally that he is capable of pretending to have such a seizure, and is very convincing at it.