Penderecki's libretto transforms Whiting's existentialist Grandier into a hero and symbol of struggle against obscurantism. It does so by placing the priest's actions into a different context, enabling a different interpretation of the events. From this perspective, Grandier's obsession for self-destruction is reinterpreted as a desire for a martyr death. In fact, it is argued that Grandier represents a Christ-like figure, for both were unjustly accused, accepted their death, and forgave their torturers. Similarly, the fate of Penderecki's Grandier is seen to be dominated by the context rather than by the individual. Penderecki's Grandier is, in this sense, a victim of political conspiracy and of religious-political fanatics.