Lady Inger of Ostrat: Henrik Ibsen's Prose Dramas Vol III

At Ostrat Manor, perched on the Trondhjem Fjord in 1528, a storm rattles the ancient stone walls while a dim fire casts trembling light over armor left too long to rust. The household of Lady Inger—widow of the high steward, mother to the thoughtful Elina—offers a cramped stage where the past of Norway’s knighthood hangs like the polished helm in the banquet hall. Servants Finn and Biorn trade bitter jokes about a vanished order, their conversation hinting at a nation stripped of its warriors and left to be governed by women.

Beneath the hushed banter, rumors stir: a tall, black‑clad figure roams the hall each night, and Lady Inger, growing ever thinner, is said to lie sleepless, haunted by the same unseen presence. With Danish forces looming and old loyalties fraying, the first act sets a mood of uneasy anticipation, where personal grief and looming political unrest begin to intertwine.