Thomas Hardy's novels often revolve around love triangles, typically featuring a woman at the center and competing male interests, revealing complex emotional dynamics. Despite the inclusion of romantic elements, Hardy's stories seldom conclude with happy endings, contrasting sharply with Victorian norms exemplified by Dickens. The document analyzes key characters and plot summaries from several of Hardy's works, including 'Desperate Remedies', 'Under the Greenwood Tree', and 'Far from the Madding Crowd', illustrating the intricate relationships and tragic outcomes that define his literary approach.

1. LOVE TRIANGLES IN THE NOVELS OF THOMAS HARDYDesigned by Charles Henderson: Dayspring Instructional Materials Inc. Ozark, Missouri

2. 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 isfounded in his ability to take a time-tested premise and reveal the many ways the “love triangle” can be plottedwhile retaining the reader’s interest.

3. 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.

4. This study is designed to make the triangles more apparent and facilitate an easy analysis for teaching

5. DESPERATEREMEDIES

6. MAJOR CHARACTERSAMBROSE GRAYE: father of Owen and Cytherea, an architect who loved CythereaBradleigh 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 CythereaGraye.MISS ALDCLYFFE: widow of Captain Aldclyffe who loved Ambrose Graye but couldn’t marry him. Her real name is CythereaBradleigh.EUNICE MANSTON: first wife of AneasManston

7. MAJOR CHARACTERSANEAS 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.

8. AMBROSE GRAYEEDWARD SPRINGROVECYTHEREA BRADLEIGHFIRST WIFECYTHEREA GRAYEEUNICE HINTON

9. CYTHEREA GRAYEMISS ADELAIDEANEAS MUNSTONEDWARD SPRINGROVEAMBROSE GRAYECAPTAINALDYCLYFFE

10. ANEAS MUNSTONADELAIDE HINTONCYTHEREA GRAYEMRS. MUNSTONEDWARDSPRINGROVEFARMERBOLLENS

11. MISS ALDCLYFFECYTHEREA GRAYEMANY WOMEN

12. Plot Summary Ambrose Graye fell in love with CythereaBradliegh who would not marry him because she had already had a child by her cousin, a military officer who was killed in India. Ambrose dies on the job leaving his children, Owen and Cytherea without any money. Owen has been trained as an architect but has difficulty supporting his sister. She takes a job with the eccentric Miss Aldclyffe as an maid.

13. Plot SummaryCytherea meets Edward Springrove whom she loves immediately. But she also gets the attention of AneasManston, an older man. The dynamics that drives Hardy’s plot and creates suspense because the reader doesn’t know the following facts: Miss Aldclyffe is CythereaBradleigh.

14. She would not marry Ambrose Graye because she had a child by her cousin. That child was Aneas whom she abandoned at the Manston door step. But she continued to provide for him during his life.

15. Plot Summary Miss Aldclyffe hires Aneas as her steward and sets out to have him marry Cytherea even though she did not love Manston. Two developments helped Manston’s cause: (1) Owen Graye became seriously ill, could not work, and had poor medical help. (2) A fire destroyed Edward Springrove senior’s property which actually belonged to MissAldcylffe and on which he had no insurance. (3) Aneas’ wife is allegedly burned to death in the fire. Miss Aldclyffe told Cytherea about Edward’s engagement to Adelaide.

16. Plot SummaryAneasofferes to help Owen as a way to get her to feel good about him; also he presses her for marriage. Miss Aldclyffe has Aneas inform Springrove Senior that she will not make him replace the destroyed buildings if he will discourage Edward with regard to Cytherea. Eventually Cytherea agrees to marry Aneas, not knowing that Miss Aldclyffe has forged a love letter from Cytherea to Aneas and has shown it to Edward Springrove.

17. Plot SummaryCytherea and Aneas are married and leave on their honeymoon. But some information arose that Aneas’ wife didn’t die in the fire. Owen and Edward manage to get to Cytherea and bring her back before the marriage isconsumated for a hearing.Aneas advertises in the paper for his wife, who left, to come back to him, and she does. Still, on moral grounds, Cytherea will not marry Edward or anyone.

18. Plot Summary With the help of the Parson Raunham, Owen and Edward investigate whether this “wife” is actually Aneas’ wife. It is learned that the woman living with Aneas is Anne Seaway, a soiled woman, and the question arose: why did he do this? And not just to eventually marry Cytherea. The story picks up with Ann Seaway who follows Aneas one night and finds him pulling his wife’s body out of a boarded up furnace. Two other people, Miss Aldclyffe and a private detective hired by Parson Raunham also follow Aneas.

19. Plot Summary They watch him take her body to the woods and bury it where it will never be found. MissAldclyffe, however, warns Aneas he is being watched and he escapes. The men of the town learn of the entire intrigue and set they set about to capture Aneas. He is finally caught when he tries to rape Cytherea. In his cell he hangs himself and leaves a long letter explaining that he accidentally killed his when she turned her head as he tried to slap her because she enraged him.

20. Plot SummaryAneas revealed that he hired Ann because of speculation that he may have killed his wife, and he wanted to ally those ideas. On her dying bed, Miss Aldclyffe fills in the details about Aneas’ birth and why she tried to help him marry Cytherea, the daughter of the man she truly loved. She leaves part of her fortune to Cytherea and part to the Rector Raunham who is her relative.Cytherea forces the Rector to take her share of the Aldclyffe fortune. Owen secures a profitable position.

21. Cytherea and Edward are married, his fiance having married a local farmer.

22. Novel’s ResolutionMarriesEdward SpringroveCythereaGraye

23. UNDER THE GREENWOOD TREE

24. 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.

25. FANCY DAYFANCY DAYMr. MayboldDick DeweyFrederic ShinerDick Dewey

26. 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.

27. Novel’s ResolutionMarriesDick DeweyFancy Day

28. A PAIR OF BLUE EYES

29. 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)

30. MAJOR Characters ContinuedSpencer Luxellian: Wealthy widower whom Elfride marries on the rebound after being abandoned by Henry Knight.ChristopherSwancourt: 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.

31. ELFRIDE SWANCOURTHenry KnightStephen SmithELFRIDE SWANCOURTSecondary TriangleHenry KnightSpencer Hugo LuxellianStephen Smith

32. Plot SummaryElfride 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, HendryKnight shows up at Elfride’s home. Through a series of circumstances, Elfride fallsfor 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.

33. Plot Summary ContinuedSmith 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.

34. NOVEL’S RESOLUTIONHenry KnightStephen SmithANDBOTH LOSEELFRIDE SWANCOURT(WHO IS DEAD)

35. FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD

36. MAJOR CHARACTERSBathsheba 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)

37. MAJOR CHARACTERS CONTINUEDFrank 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.

38. MAJOR CHARACTERS CONTINUEDWilliam 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.

39. SERGEANT TROYBATHSHEBA EVERDENE12Sgt. Francis TroyFanny RobinGabriel OakBathsheba EverdeneBATHSHEBA EVERDENE3Secondary TriangleSgt. Francis TroyWilliam Boldwood

40. Plot Summary Gabriel Oak proposes crudely to Bathsheba; sherejects him. Oak’s entire sheep herd is killed because of a novice sheep dog. Oak pays his debts and leaves the area.

41. Bathsheba moves away to her uncle’s farm and eventually inherits it.Oaksaves a farm, which turns out to be Bathsheba’s farm, from a terrible fire. Oak is hired on as a farm worker.

42. Wealthy nearby bachelor farmer Boldwood fallsin love with Bathsheba.(continued)

43. Plot Summary Continued Sgt. Troy shows up and courts Bathsheba.

44. 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.

45. Bathsheba learns Robin was pregnant by Troy

46. 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 lovedFanny Robin.(continued)

47. Plot Summary ContinuedOak 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.THENOVEL’S RESOLUTIONThe following characters are dead: Francis Troy

48. Fanny Robin and her baby

49. William BoldwoodMarriesGABRIEL OAKBATHSHEBA EVERDENE

50. THE HAND OF ETHELBERTHA(TO BE INSERTED)

51. THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE

52. MAJOR CHARACTERSEustacia 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)

53. MAJOR Characters ContinuedDamon 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.

54. EUSTACIA VYEDamon WildeveClym YeobrightTHOMASIN YEOBRIGHTSecondary TriangleDamon WildeveDeggory Venn

55. 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.

56. 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 DamonWildeve, meeting him clandestinely at night. They plan to run away and attempt to do so.

57. But on the night they leave, there is a rain storm.

58. Their wagon falls into a swollen creek and both drown. Yeobright spends the rest of his life as a preacher.

59. Diggory Venn finally marries Clym’s cousin Thomasin.

60. NOVEL’S RESOLUTIONAt the end of the novel: Eustacia Vye and Damon Wildeve are dead

61. Clym Yeobright is an itinerant preacherMarriesDeggory VennThomasin Yeobright

62. THE TRUMPET MAJOR

63. 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.

64. ANNE GARLANDJohn LovedayRobert Loveday

65. Plot SummaryJohn Loveday, a military trumpet major, lovesAnne Garland. However, she prefers his brother Robert.

66. Robert jilts Anne many times, but she always accepts him back.John saves Anne from being raped one night.

67. Finally, when Robert has been gone some years, John persuades Anne to marry him. Just before the wedding, Robert shows up.

68. Anne promptly takes him back.

69. John leaves for a remote military outpost and is subsequently killed.

70. NOVEL’S RESOLUTIONMarriesROBERT LOVEDAYANNE GARLANDJOHN LOVEDAY IS DEAD

71. A LAODICEAN

72. Major CharactersPaula 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)

73. Major Characters ContinuedCaptain 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)

74. 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.

75. PAULA POWERCaptain de StancyGeorge SomersetGEORGE SOMERSETSecondary TriangleCharlotte de StancyPaula Power

76. 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.

77. Paula solicits George to restore the castle.

78. He refuses unless a rival, the previous family architect, is also allowed to bid. William Dare enables the rival to steal George’splans 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).

79. Plot Summary 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.

80. Dare and his uncle plot to demean George before Paula and they are successful.George leaves Europe and resigns as Paula’s architect. (continued)

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

82. 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.

83. NOVEL’S RESOLUTIONMarriesGEORGE SOMERSETPAULA POWER

84. TWO ON A TOWER

85. 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.

86. VIVIETTE CONSTANTINESIR BLONT CONSTANTINESir Blount ConstantineSwithin St. CleeveNative PrincessVivette ConstantineVIVIETTE CONSTANTINESecondary TriangleBishop C. MelchesterSwithin St. Cleeve

87. Plot SummaryViviette 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 herhusband, 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)

88. Plot Summary Continued While St. Cleeve is gone, she finds out that her husband killed himself several months after hermarriage 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.

89. NOVEL’S RESOLUTIONAt the end of this novel, the following persons are dead: Viviette Constantine

90. BlountConstantine

91. Bishop ofMelchesterTHE MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE

92. MAJOR CHARACTERSMichael 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.

93. LUCETTA TEMPLEMANSecondaryTriangleMichael HenchardDonald FarfraeSUSAN HENCHARDMichael HenchardNewson

94. Plot SummaryMichael 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)

95. Plot Summary ContinuedHe 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 hisdaughter but the offspring of Susan and Newson. (continued)

96. Plot Summary ContinuedRejected 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.

97. THE NOVEL’S RESOLUTIONAt the end of this novel, the following persons are dead: Michael Henchard

98. Susan Henchard-Newson

99. Lucetta TemplemanTHE WOODLANDERS