1. Unferth’s Soliloquy
Nothing comforts me—not my boil or my jewelry. Sweat contracting from my soul, I loathe my stupid king and his ugly wife. For I am greater than that murderous Beowulf; I am a pariah among these feasts. One act of good cannot destroy evil no more than one plucked leaf can destroy a tree. Everything within me screams evil—if only Grendel had taken me with him, but fear holds me back, makes me weak. Such weakness imprisons my love for evil causing fear to reign. Insanity will overtake me if I’m not freed of this fear.