th thomas hardy love triangles

LOVE TRIANGLES IN THE NOVELS OF THOMAS HARDY

Designed by Charles Henderson: Dayspring Instructional Materials Inc. Ozark, Missouri

The novels of Hardy are all based on a series of triangles,

principally with a female at the apex and competing males at each base. Hardy’s genius is

founded in his ability to take a time-tested premise and reveal

the many ways the “love triangle” can be plotted while retaining the reader’s interest.

Hardy’s view of fatalism, however, rarely allows for the happy ending that

we have learned to expect from Dickens’ novels. In fact, only four

novels, The Laodician, Far From The Madding Crowd, Desperate Remedies, and Under The Greenwood Tree,

end with what can be deemed happy endings.

This study is designed to make the triangles

more apparent and facilitate

an easy analysis for teaching

DESPERATEREMEDIES

MAJOR CHARACTERS

AMBROSE GRAYE: father of Owen and Cytherea, an architect who loved Cytherea Bradleigh to be known as Miss Aldclyffe.

OWEN GRAYE: an architect and brother to Cytherea.

EDWARD SPRINGROVE: a handsome young man who fell in love with Cytherea Graye.

MISS ALDCLYFFE: widow of Captain Aldclyffe who loved Ambrose Graye but couldn’t marry him. Her real name is Cytherea Bradleigh.

EUNICE MANSTON: first wife of Aneas Manston

MAJOR CHARACTERS

ANEAS MANSTON: Illegitimate son of Miss Aldclyffe by a cousin. He was abandoned on a widow’s door as a baby.

ANNE SEAWAY: a woman of suspect reputation who consented to act as Manston’s wife for a time.

ADELAIDE HINTON: cousin of Edward Springrove to whom he had been engaged for sometime.

PARSON RAUNHAM: the bachelor rector of the church, a relative of Miss Aldclyffe by marriage who was instrumental in bringing out the details about Manston and his wife.

AMBROSE GRAYE

FIRST WIFE

CYTHEREA

GRAYE

CYTHEREA

BRADLEIGH

EDWARD SPRINGROVE

EUNICE HINTON

CYTHEREA GRAYE

EDWARD SPRINGROVE

AMBROSE

GRAYE

ANEAS

MUNSTON

MISS ADELAIDE

CAPTAINALDYCLYFFE

ANEAS MUNSTON

MRS. MUNSTON

EDWARD

SPRINGROVE

CYTHEREA

GRAYE

ADELAIDE HINTON

FARMERBOLLENS

MISS ALDCLYFFE

MANY WOMEN CYTHEREA GRAYE

Novel’s Resolution

Marries

Edward Springrove

Cytherea Graye

UNDER THE

GREENWOOD TREE

MAJOR CHARACTERSFancy Day: a frivolous, vain schoolmistress who is easily infatuated, in fact with three men.Dick Dewey: trustworthy and dependable young businessman who doesn’t give up on Fancy. His perseverance wins her.Reuben Dewey: Dick’s father, a born leader and band organizer.Mr. Maybold: intelligent vicar who falls in love with Fancy but decides later that she is “less than an angel.”Geoffrey Day: Fancy’s father who consents to her marriage.Frederick Shiner: a rich farmer in his thirties, a proud man and somewhat of a coward. Fancy had a temporary infatuation for him.

FANCY DAY

Dick Dewey

Frederic Shiner

Mr. Maybold

FANCY DAY

Dick Dewey

Plot Summary

The story is set around the Christmas season in which musical groups travel through the area entertaining their neighbors.

A very simple love story in which Fancy Day, a beautiful young girl, teases three men.

She eventually makes the right choice by choosing the industrious Dick Dewey.


Marries

Dick Dewey

Fancy Day

A PAIR OF BLUE EYES

MAJOR CHARACTERSElfride Swancourt: Beautiful and naïve young woman falls in love with Stephen Smith, a poor but rising architect who comes to work on the church her father pastors.

Stephen Smith: Aspiring young architect who falls in love with Elfride while working for her father on a restoration project.

Henry Knight: Intellectual and idealist friend of Smith, he comes from noble heritage. Ironically he meets and wins the heart of Elfride, who rejects Smith. (continued)

Spencer Luxellian: Wealthy widower whom Elfride marries on the rebound after being abandoned by Henry Knight.

Christopher Swancourt: Father of Elride, a small town minister who refuses to allow Stephen Smith to marry Elfride because he is not wealthy and does not have noble blood. It turns out later that he and his wife had adopted Elfride.

MAJOR Characters Continued

ELFRIDE SWANCOURT

Henry Knight

Spencer Hugo Luxellian

Stephen Smith

ELFRIDE SWANCOURT

Henry K

night

Stephen SmithSecondary Triangle

Plot Summary Elfride Swancourt almost marries Stephen Smith in secret. At the last minute, she backs out but promises to marry him later, swearing that he is her “husband. Coincidentally Smith’s older best friend, Hendry Knight shows up at Elfride’s home. Through a series of circumstances, Elfride falls for Knight and promises to marry him, rejecting Smith very callously without any explanation. Knight rejects Elfride, however, when he forces from her the admission that she had been kissed before and had even been “promised” to someone else.

Plot Summary Continued Smith finds out that Knight is her fiancé and goes to India to live. Knight leaves Elfride for a long time but Smith never knows this. They meet by chance in London where Knight learns about Smith’s involvement with Elfride, and Smith learns that Elfride and Knight had never married. They both leave for her hometown to individually court her again. They learn that she had married the much older Lord Luxellian after Knight had left her.They also learn that Elride has died and is being buried that very day.

BOTH LOSE

Henry Knight Stephen Smith

NOVEL’S RESOLUTION

ELFRIDE SWANCOURT

AND

(WHO IS DEAD)

FAR FROM THE MADDING

CROWD

MAJOR CHARACTERS

Bathsheba Everdene: A confused female who inherited a farm. She desired to be her own boss, but she consistently showed her heavy reliance on men. She marries characterless Frank Troy, looses him, and eventually marries Gabriel Oak.Gabriel Oak: A sheep rancher who lost his farm due to the actions of a novice sheep dog. Early in the novel, he proposed to Bathsheba only to have her reject him for two other men in succession. Ironically, while working for Bathsheba, he saves her ranch on two occasions, yet she still marries Frank Troy. After Troy’s murder, he finally marries Bathsheba. (continued)

MAJOR CHARACTERS CONTINUED

Frank Troy: A womanizing soldier who wins Bathsheba’s heart because of his experienced ability to deceive women. He is a man of poor character having already gotten another girl, Fanny Robin, pregnant. Later he is believed to have drowned only to show up and ruin the engagement of Bathsheba to farmer William Boldwood.


William Boldwood: A wealthy, older bachelor and owner of land adjacent to Bathsheba’s farm. Bathsheba, through a whimsical trick, causes Boldwood to fall in love with her. After Sgt. Troy “drowned,” he secures her promise of marriage, but Troy is not dead and shows up to ruin the impending marriage. Boldwood kills Troy in a jealous rage and is subsequently executed.Fanny Robin: Jilted lover of Troy whose death reveals Troy’s real nature as well as real love.

BATHSHEBA EVERDENE

Gabriel Oak

Sgt. Francis TroyWilliam Boldwood

Fanny Robin

SERGEANT TROY

Bathsheba EverdeneSgt. Fra

ncis

Troy

BATHSHEBA EVERDENE

1 2

3Secondary Triangle

Plot Summary Gabriel Oak proposes crudely to Bathsheba; she rejects him. Oak’s entire sheep herd is killed because of a novice sheep dog. Oak pays his debts and leaves the area. Bathsheba moves away to her uncle’s farm and eventually inherits it. Oak saves a farm, which turns out to be Bathsheba’s farm, from a terrible fire. Oak is hired on as a farm worker. Wealthy nearby bachelor farmer Boldwood falls in love with Bathsheba. (continued)

Sgt. Troy shows up and courts Bathsheba. Fanny Robin is pregnant by Troy but no one else one knows this. Troy marries Bathsheba and begins to gamble as well as being a bad manager. Oak again saves the farm while Troy and the workers sleep in a drunken slumber. Fanny Robin and her baby die. Bathsheba learns Robin was pregnant by Troy Troy finally runs away after Fanny Robin’s death and is reported dead in a suicide attempt. Troy has admitted to Bathsheba that he really only loved Fanny Robin. (continued)

Plot Summary Continued

Oak saves the sheep herd, and the farm, for a third time and is made manager. Boldwood gets a commitment from Bathsheba to marry him in a few years. On the night of their engagement party, Troy suddenly appears. He had not drowned and had been working as an actor in a traveling carnival. Boldwood kills Troy in rage in Bathsheba’s house and is subsequently executed. Oak and Bathsheba are finally married.


Marries

THE NOVEL’S RESOLUTION

The following characters are dead: Francis Troy Fanny Robin and her baby William Boldwood

GABRIEL OAK

BATHSHEBA EVERDENE

THE HAND OF ETHELBERTHA

(TO BE INSERTED)

THE RETURN OF

THE NATIVE

MAJOR CHARACTERS

Eustacia Vye: A bright young woman who desiresto escape from her mundane existence in the county. She unwisely marries Clym Yeobright; hatesher life; and dies with Damon Wildeve when they fallin a swollen creek the night they run away.Clym Yeobright: An astute scholar who returns tohis home town after studying and living in the bigcities. He marries Eustacia who thinks he will take her to live in Paris. When this doesn’t happen, shetries to run away with a former boy friend, Damon Wildeve, and drowns. Clym spends the rest of his life as a preacher.

(continued)

Damon Wildeve: A womanizer who decieves Thomasin Yeobright. He runs away with Eustacia; and causes both their deaths during a rain storm.

Thomasin Yeobright: Cousin to Clym, she is used by Wildeve who later rejects her. She eventually marries Deggory Venn an itinerate farm salesman.

Deggory Vern: Itinerate farm salesman who loves Thomasin and eventually marries her. Venn is a stolid, noble person of integrity.


Clym Yeobright

Deggory Venn

EUSTACIA VYE

Damon Wildeve

THOMASIN YEOBRIGHTDamon W

ildeve

Secondary Triangle

PLOT SUMMARY Clym Yeobright, a product of the local country, returns home after years of living in big cities. He wins the attention of the beautiful Eustaica Vye. She unwisely marries him hoping that he will grow tired of the country and take her to Paris. When this doesn’t happen, she turns to Damon Wildeve, meeting him clandestinely at night. They plan to run away and attempt to do so. But on the night they leave, there is a rain storm. Their wagon falls into a swollen creek and both drown. Yeobright spends the rest of his life as a preacher. Diggory Venn finally marries Clym’s cousin Thomasin.

Marries


At the end of the novel: Eustacia Vye and Damon Wildeve are dead Clym Yeobright is an itinerant preacher

Deggory Venn

Thomasin Yeobright

THE TRUMPET

MAJOR

MAJOR CHARACTERSAnne Garland: Beautiful young woman who rejects John Loveday for his brother Robert.John Loveday: Loves Anne exclusively to his downfall. When he thinks he has won her heart, his brother shows up after a long absence only to have Anne go back to him.Robert Loveday: Two timing brother of John who jilts Anne only to show up in time to ruin John’s chances with her.

John Loveday Robert Loveday

ANNE GARLAND

Plot Summary John Loveday, a military trumpet major, loves Anne Garland. However, she prefers his brother Robert. Robert jilts Anne many times, but she always accepts him back. John saves Anne from being raped one night. Finally, when Robert has been gone some years, John persuades Anne to marry him. Just before the wedding, Robert shows up. Anne promptly takes him back. John leaves for a remote military outpost and is subsequently killed.


Marries

ROBERT LOVEDAY

ANNE GARLAND

JOHN LOVEDAY IS DEAD

A LAODICEAN

Major Characters

Paula Power: Current owner of the de Stancey estate, her father was a self-made industrialist, a“new money” person without nobility. She wants to be from nobility and befriends Charlotte de Stancy, daughter of the disenfranchised Sir William de Stancy. She hires George Somerset to restore the de Stancy castle. She also grows to love George.George Somerset: Aspiring architect who is hired by Paula Power to rebuild the de Stancy property. He isvery trustworthy and a man of high values. He fallsin love with Paula only to have Captain de Stancy, with the help of William Dare, attempt to defraud him. (continued)

Captain de Stancy: Son of Sir William de Stancy and lacking character, he is pushed into trying to win Paula’s hand through deceitful plans originated by his bastard son, William Dare. He loses face at the end of the novel.Charlotte de Stancy: Daughter of Sir William de Stancy, she is a person of high character and friend of Paula. Her selfless confession revealing the trickery of her brother and nephew restores Somerset’s reputation and his relationship with Paula.

(continued)

Major Characters Continued

William Dare: Bastard son of Captain de Stancy. He poses as a photographer but lives off money he gets from his father. He is a person of low character and works to have his father marry Paula in order to secure his future.

Major Characters Continued

George Somerset

Charlotte de Stancy

PAULA POWER

Captain de Stancy

GEORGE SOMERSET

Paula Power

Secondary Triangle

Plot Summary The Power family, a “new money” family without nobility bought the lost de Stancy property.George Somerset, an aspiring architect, arrives to to study the features of de Stancy Castle. He is struck with Paula Power, and she with him. Paula solicits George to restore the castle. He refuses unless a rival, the previous family architect, is also allowed to bid. William Dare enables the rival to steal George’s plans and both men tie in the bidding process. Will de Stancy (Dare), illegitimate son of Captain de Stancy, tries to install his father as the suitor of Paula Power, defrauding Somerset. (continued).

Will de Stancy (Dare), illegitimate son of Captain de Stancy, tries to install his father as the suitor of Paula Power defrauding Somerset.Later, Paula’s brother works with Dare to have the Captain win Paula’s heart. They arrange for Paula to go overseas while George works on the Castle. George finally follows Paula to Europe. Dare and his uncle plot to demean George before Paula and they are successful. George leaves Europe and resigns as Paula’s architect. (continued)


Plot Summary Continued Paula sadly agrees to marry Captain de Stancy.

On the morning of the wedding, Charlotte de Stancy selflessly reveals the scheme to Paula when she finds out what has been done.

Both Dare and the Captain are publicly demeaned and are forced to leave in shame.

However, in typical character, Dare sets fire to de Stancy castle before he leaves.

Paula and George are married, but she admits that she still desires nobility.

Marries

GEORGE SOMERSET

PAULA POWER


TWO ON A TOWER

MAJOR CHARACTERSViviette Constantine: Abandonded wife of a globe trotting nobleman and left almost penniless, she falls in love with St. Cleeve who is ten years younger.Sir. Blount Constantine: Husband of viviette, he squanders his inheritance on world wide anthropological ventures.Native Princess: Sir Blount marries her rather than come home to his wife. Swithin St. Cleeve: Aspiring astronomer, he rents a nearby tower from Viviette. He falls in love with her, and they marry in secret.Bishop of Melchester: A local vicar who had fallen in love with Viviette. Eventually he marries her.

Swithin St. Cleeve

VIVIETTE CONSTANTINE

SIR BLONT CONSTANTINE

Bishop C. Melchester

Vivette Constantine Nativ

e Prin

cess

VIVIETTE CONSTANTINE

Sir Blount C

onstantine

Swithin St. Cleeve

Secondary Triangle

Plot Summary

Viviette Constantine secretly marries the much younger St. Cleeve hoping to keep the marriage secret until he distinguishes himself as an astronomer.

Unfortunately, she later discovers that her husband, Blount, had not died as had been reported.

She sends St. Cleeve away; but, in a brief reunion, she gets she is pregnant by him. (continued)

Plot Summary Continued While St. Cleeve is gone, she finds out that her husband killed himself several months after her marriage to St. Cleeve due to guilt over marrying a native princes.

In order to cover up her pregnancy, she marries Bishop Melchester.

Melchester, some years older than her, dies suddenly.

Viviette dies of a heart attack, the very minute St. Cleeve returns to her and his son.

At the end of this novel, the following persons are dead:

Viviette Constantine Blount Constantine Bishop of Melchester


THE MAYOR OF

CASTERBRIDGE

MAJOR CHARACTERS

Michael Henchard: In a drunken stupor, he “sells” his wife to a sailor.Susan Henchard: Wife of Michael who spitefully leaves with a sailor after he “sells” her in a mock auction.Newson: Sailor who buys Henchard’s wife and takes her away.Donald Farfrae: Scotsman who goes to work for the now successful Michael Henchard.Lucetta Templeman: Beautiful woman who lives in Casterbridge. Henchard falls in love with her, but she rejects him for Farfrae.

Secondary Triangle

Donald Farfrae

LUCETTA TEMPLEMAN

Newson

Michael Henchard

Michael HenchardSUSAN HENCHARD

Plot Summary Michael Henchard, in a drunken state, sells his wife Susan in a mock auction to a sailor, Newson. Years later Henchard, who had forsworn liquor for 20 years, is found by his wife and daughter, Elizabeth-Jane, in Casterbridge where he is a successful businessman as well as the Mayor of the town. Henchard takes Elizabeth-Jane and her mother in but Susan soon dies. Henchard hires a Scotsman, Donald Farfrae, to run his business but becomes jealous of him and refuses to give his permission to Farfrae to marry Elizabeth.

(continued)

Plot Summary Continued He fires Farfrae who becomes a more successful businessman than Henchard. Henchard falls in love with and courts Lucetta Templeman only to lose her to his nemesis Farfrae, who breaks his engagement to Elizabeth. Henchard loses his business because of bad poor speculation on the weather. He is also exposed in court one day as a man who sold his wife and child. Farfrae marrys Templeman, but she dies when the town mocks them both. Henchard then learns that Elizabeth is not his daughter but the offspring of Susan and Newson. (continued)

Rejected and broken, Henchard makes a number of personal choices that distances him from everyone.

He is finally found dead in an obscure grave, leaving a request that his name not be put on the grave and that no one is to remember his name or who he was at all.


At the end of this novel, the following persons are dead:

Michael Henchard

Susan Henchard-Newson

Lucetta Templeman

THE NOVEL’S RESOLUTION

THE WOODLANDERS

MAJOR CHARACTERSGrace Melbury: a beautiful young woman who was sent off for formal education by her father. She wasmore or less promised to Giles Winterbourne. She causes Giles’ death in the winter when she runs away from Fitzpiers on a cold night.Giles Winterbourne: a local merchant who lost his property due to negligence. He loves Grace but she and her dad consider him lower than Grace because he is a commoner and not as well education as her. During bad weather, though sick, he sacrifices his life to save her reputation when she is stayingin his hut. (continued)

Eldred Fitzpiers: a doctor who falls for Grace and marries her; however, he falls for the older but beautiful Felice Charmond. He leaves Grace for her and returns to Grace when she leaves him for another man and dies.Marty South: a local common girl who loves Giles but is never able to compete with Grace for Giles, who fails to notice her love for him.Felice Charmond: an older, more experienced woman who steals Fitzpiers from Grace. They carry on a public and sordid affair. Fitzpiers leaves with her only to have her run off with another man. She eventually destroys her health and dies.


GRACE MELBURY

Grace Melbury

Giles Winterbourne

ELDRED FITZPIERS

Eldre

d Fitz

piers

Felice Charm

ond

GILES WINTERBOURNE

Grace Melbury Marty SouthSecondary Triangle

Plot Summary Grace Melbury returns from a school where she has been educated beyond that of her peers. She and Giles Winterbourne have been engaged for a long time. A new doctor, Eldred Fitzpiers, falls in love with Grace and courts her. Her father encourages this on the guise that Giles is not high class enough for her education. She and Fitzpiers are married, but he proves to be a womanizer. He becomes enamored of Felice Charmond, an older woman of the world. (continued)

After he persues and leaves with Charmond, Grace decides that she made a mistake in not marrying Giles. On a very cold night, Grace leaves home and finds a small cottage in the woods which, ironically, belongs to Giles. Giles lets her stay in the cottage in the day and he sleeps outside to avoid compromising her reputation. Grace doesn’t know that Giles is a sick man, and exposure to the harsh weather causes his death.

(continued)


Fitzpiers comes back after Charmond dies.

Grace accepts him back.

But she had promised Marty South that she would attend to his Giles’ grave until her death.

Marty South, who always loved Giles, is left to attend to Giles’ grave.


NOVEL’S RESOLUTIONAt the end of the novel the following persons are dead:

Felice Charmond Giles Winterbourne

Grace and Eldred Fitzpiers are reconciled

Alone, Marty South lovingly attends the grave

of Giles Winterbourne

TESS D’URBEYFIELD

MAJOR CHARACTERS

Tess D’urbeyfield: Beautiful daughter of a lazy man who sends her to beg work from a family he has been led to believe he is related to.

Alec D’urberville: Nobleman who rapes Tess but later recants and marries her.

Angel Clare: First husband of Tess, he elicits a confession from her that she is not a virgin, even though he also is not. He rejects her on their wedding day when he learns of her past.

TESS D’URBEYFIELD

Angel Clare Alec d’Urberville

Plot Summary Tess’s father, a lazy moocher, learns that his family might be related to the noble family, d’urberville. Since he has made the family indigent, he sends Tess to the noble family to beg for work based on the alleged family connection. Ironically, this family only assumed the name when they moved into the area. Tess is raped by Alex d’urberville and comes home in shame. Eventually, she leaves and works at a number of menial, hard labor jobs. (continued)

Plot Summary Continued Working as a milk maid on a large farm, she meets, falls in love with, and marries the young, but promising workman, Angel Clare. On their wedding night, Clare solicits a confession from Tess that she has had carnal relations with another man. Clare then abandons her even though he admits to past sins himself. She is again forced to work at hard labor jobs. (continued)

While in this condition, she is rescued by a “changed” Alec who is now devoting himself to preaching in order to atone for his sins. She lives with him, and he changes back to a man of the world. Clare finally shows up indicating that he is willing to take Tess back. In desperation, she kills Alec and lives a few days with Clare while running from the authorities, but they are apprehended at Stone Henge. Clare and Tess’s younger sister, Liza Lu, witness the moment of Tess’s execution from a nearby hill top.


THE WELL-BELOVED

MAJOR CHARACTERS

Jocelyn Pierston – sculptor who loved many women Avice Caro- country girl and childhood friend of Jocelyn who he jilted for Marcia Bencomb.Jim Caro- cousin of Avice who married her after Jocelyn jilted; also father of Ann Avice CaroMarcia Bencomb – she agreed to marry Jocelyn; then rejected him before the wedding day. She married a Mr. Leverre; then Jocelyn in her old age.Nichola Pine-Avon – lady who loved Jocelyn but for whom he had no affection. She married Somers.Mr. Somers – artist and long time friend of Jocelyn who later married Nichola Pine-Avon


Ann Avice Caro – daughter of Avice Caro. She was also fickle. She would have accepted Jocelyn’s proposal, but she had recently been secretly married to IsaacIsaac Pierston – distant relative of Jocelyn who married Ann Avice secretly. Jocelyn put him in business, but he later ‘ill-used’ AnnAvice Pierston – daughter of Ann Avice. She agreed to marry Jocelyn, forth years her senior, to please her mother; but jilted him was had Ann and MarciaHenri Leverre – son of Marcia Bencomb Leverre, he helped Avice III jilt Jocelyn by running off an marrying her

JOCELYN PIERSTON

JOCELYN PIERSTON

AVICE CAROMARCIA B

ENCOMB1

2

Marcia Bencomb

MR. LEVERRE

NO MARRIAGE

JOCELYN PIERSTON

JOCELYN PIERSTON

AVICE PIERSTON

HENRI LEVERRE

ANN AVICE CARO

ISAAC PIERSTON

4

3

Secondary TriangleJOCELYN PIERSTON

NICHOLA PINE-AVON

MR. SOMERS

5

PLOT SUMMARYJocelyn Pierston, a sculptor, believed in a perfect phantom spirit-woman, who inhabited the bodies of many women he saw, calling her “The Well-Beloved.He came home and impetuously asked childhood friend Avice Caro to marry him.Because she didn’t meet him at a remote location as he had requested, he rejected her and asked Marcia Bencomb to marry him although he had known her for only a few hours.She agreed to marry him because she was running away from home but changed her mind and left him.Avice marries her cousin, Jim Caro.Twenty years pass and finds Pierston once again in the land of his childhood.

PLOT SUMMARY CONTINUED

Avice has died, but she has a beautiful daughter, Ann who does menial housework for a living.Pierston sets out to win her hand in marriage, but he finds that she also loves a perfect man/spirit that inhabits many men.After hiring Ann Avice to housekeep for him in London, he learns that Ann is already married.He sets up the man, Isaac Pierston, in a business and leaves the country for another twenty years.At the age of sixty, Pierston is asked by Ann to come to see her and informs him that Isaac is dead and had not been a good husband to Ann.

PLOT SUMMARY CONTINUEDAnn asked to see him because she wants him to marry her daughter, Avice, so that she will have a good, reliable, and wealthy husband.Pierston agrees and sets out to win Avice’s hand in marriage who agrees to marry him even though his age is a negative issue.But the night before the wedding, her real love, Henri Leverre, shows up, and he and Avice elope.They are missing for some time and Ann dies suddenly because of the strain on her weak heart.It turns out that Henri is the son of Marcia, the girl who had jilted him forty years prior.Pierston eventually marries Marcia, completing a cycle that began forty years prior.

At the end of this novel: Avice Caro is dead Jim Caro is dead Ann Avice Caro Pierston is dead Isaac Pierston is dead Mr. Leverre is dead

Somers is married to Nichola Pine-Avon Henri Leverre is married to Avice PierstonPierston is married to Marcia Bencomb Leverre


Marries

JOCELYN PIERSTON

MARCIA BENCOMB-LEVERRE

JUDE THE

OBSCURE

MAJOR CHARACTERSSusanna Bridehead: Cousin of Jude, she marries the much older teacher, Richard Phillotson but later falls in love with Jude and runs off with him.Jude Frawley: Poor stonemason who wants to be a scholarly minister.Richard Phillostson: School teacher, much older than Susanna, he marries her only to have her run away with Jude.Arabella Donn: First wife of Jude, a sexually experienced farm maid who tricks Jude into marrying her; then leaves him because he is too boring.

Jude Frawley

SUSANNA BRIDEHEAD

Arabella Donn

Richard Phillotson

JUDE FRAWLEY

Susanna Bridehead

Secondary Triangle

Plot Summary

Jude, a stonemason, wants to become a scholar and minister. Because of a lack of formal education, Jude cannot get into the ministerial college. He is tricked by Arabella Donn who claims she is pregnant. It turns out that she wasn’t pregnant and eventually leaves Jude because of his passive nature. Jude falls in love with a cousin, Susanna Bridehead, but she marries an older school teacher, Richard Phillotson. (continued)

Hating Pillotson, she leaves him to live with Jude. Their life is very difficult, culminating in the death of their baby by their older son before he commits suicide. Susanna, now stricken with grief, decides she cannot live in adultery and leaves Jude to go back to Phillotson. Jude gets sick and eventually dies without any of his dreams being fulfilled.


RETURNS TO

SUSANNA BRIDEHEAD

Richard Phillotson


END OF PRESENTATION

th thomas hardy love triangles

Education