Without knowing wether or not Tolkien himself addressed this issue at any point, and given that the Ainur were extensions of Iluvatar's thoughts, I would argue that Melkor was destined to be sow discord. To what degree and to what extents he would go to sow this discord, I believe Iluvatar allowed Melkor to decide. Thus, Melkor was intended as an instrument to sow discord providing a catalyst for change so things would not become locked in stasis, but with a freewill to be at odds with the other Ainur as desired.
|