
Set in the summer of 1509, the play opens on a breezy meadow near Turku, where the town’s merchants and officials gather to discuss the fragile peace with Denmark. Antero Suurpää, a local tax collector, argues with his fellow townsfolk about rising salt prices and the looming threat of Danish soldiers, while his sister Barbro and his daughter Ebba exchange sharp, witty remarks over food and drink. The atmosphere crackles with a mix of hope and suspicion, hinting at deeper currents beneath the everyday concerns of the community.
Amid the political chatter, personal tensions begin to surface: Barbro’s sharp tongue clashes with Ebba’s youthful innocence, and the arrival of Danish knights promises both danger and intrigue. Their banter, laced with humor and a hint of rivalry, sets the stage for a romance that could bridge—or break—the divide between families. Listeners will be drawn into a vivid tapestry of early‑16th‑century Finnish life, where love, loyalty, and looming conflict intertwine.
Full title
Raatimiehen tytär Historiallis-romantillinen näytelmä kolmessa näytöksessä
Language
fi
Duration
~1 hours (61K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2007-01-02
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects
1844–1895
A 19th-century Finnish writer and journalist, best remembered for historical fiction and plays that helped shape early Finnish-language literature. His surviving works, including dramas and novels now preserved in Project Gutenberg, still offer a window into Finland's cultural life in the late 1800s.
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