Bettie's Books

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Translation by William Archer

ORNULF OF THE FIORDS, an Icelandic Chieftain.
SIGURD THE STRONG, a Sea-King.
GUNNAR HEADMAN,[1] a rich yeoman of Helgeland.
DAGNY, Ornulf's daughter.
HIORDIS, his foster-daughter.
KARE THE PEASANT, a Helgeland-man.
EGIL, Gunnar's son, four years old.
ORNULF'S SIX OLDER SONS.
ORNULF'S AND SIGURD'S MEN.
Guests, house-carls, serving-maids, outlaws, etc.

The action takes place in the time of Erik Blood-axe (about A.D. 933) at, and in the neighbourhood of, Gunnar's house on the island of Helgeland, in the north of Norway.

A rocky coast, running precipitously down to the sea at the back. To the left, a boat-house; to the right, rocks and pine-woods. The masts of two war-ships can be seen down in the cove. Far out to the right, the ocean, dotted with reefs and rocky islands; the sea is running high; it is a stormy snow-grey winter day.


I have heard of a queen that took her son and sewed his kirtle fast to his flesh, yet he never blinked an eye. (With a look of cruelty.) Dagny, that will I try with Egil!

Hiördis = Lady MacBeth

Henrik Johan Ibsen (1828-1906) was a major Norwegian playwright largely responsible for the rise of modern realistic drama. He is often referred to as the "father of modern drama." His plays were considered scandalous to many of his era. His work examined the realities that lay behind many facades, possessing a revelatory nature that was disquieting to many contemporaries. His first play, the tragedy Catilina (1850), was published under the pseudonym Brynjulf Bjarme, when he was only 22. With success, Ibsen became more confident and began to introduce more and more his own beliefs and judgments into the drama, exploring what he termed the "drama of ideas." His other notable works include Love's Comedy (1862), A Doll's House (1879), Ghosts (1881), An Enemy of the People (1882), The Wild Duck (1884), Hedda Gabler (1890) and When We Dead Awaken (1899)