Jude the Obscure

Jude harbors aspirations to attend the university and, in the meantime, seeks employment as a stonemason in Christminster. Disheartened by the town’s decay and his own financial limitations, he resolves to prioritize saving money above all else. Despite warnings from his great aunt, Jude seeks out Sue at her work, and is captivated by her beauty and apparent saintliness. Tempted yet restrained by their familial ties, his existing marriage, and the ominous history of their family’s marital misfortunes, Jude grapples with conflicting emotions about Sue.

Jude attends services at Sue’s church and wrestles with his desire to approach her. In a flashback, Sue purchases sculptures of Venus and Apollo, struggling to conceal them from her devout landlady, Miss Fontover. Upon Miss Fontover’s inquiry, Sue deceitfully labels them as Christian saints. Alone, Sue arranges these pagan idols alongside a crucifixion print. Meanwhile, Jude, grappling with his sensual past, immerses himself in Greek New Testament studies elsewhere in the city.

Jude continues to think about Sue and hesitates to reveal himself when she sends him a letter at work. They arrange to meet, and Jude learns Sue knows Phillotson. Rather than the university scholar he had planned to be, Phillotson remains a humble schoolmaster who has given up his ambitions. Sue, facing troubles at work, considers returning to teaching. Jude persuades Phillotson to hire her as a pupil-teacher.

Phillotson’s admiration for Sue transgresses professional boundaries, evolving into personal attraction. During a school trip to Christminster, Sue’s critical remarks about a model of Jerusalem surprise him, and the pair meet up briefly with Jude, who claims to understand Sue’s critiques. Later, a school inspector’s visit distresses Sue, prompting Phillotson’s supportive reassurance. Despite their age gap, Phillotson finds himself drawn to Sue. Jude visits them and secretly observes them coming out of a vicarage, Phillotson’s arm around Sue’s waist.

On his return to Marygreen, Jude faces his aunt’s the disapproval of his relationship with Sue. He resolves to seek advice from professors at Christminster colleges who can help him advance his academic pursuits. However, he soon realizes that Christminster is out of his reach financially and educationally. Jude spirals into depression and wishes he had Sue to comfort him. He goes out drinking and returns to a letter from one of the professors, who recommends to Jude that he remain within his social sphere. The letter compounds his despondency and leads to a night of contemplation. Jude finds solace among the common people of Christminster. Disillusioned yet defiant, he scrawls a Bible verse on one of the college walls with his stonemason's chalk: “I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you” (Job 12:3).

Dejected by his lost dreams and troubled by complicated feelings towards Sue, Jude drinks in a tavern. He boasts of his academic prowess, fueled by alcohol and scorn towards Christminster. Despite impressing his drinking companions with a Latin recitation, Jude furiously storms out of the bar. He stumbles to Sue’s lodgings, only to slink away in shame at dawn. Back in Marygreen, dismissed from his stonemason’s job and filled with despair, Jude compares himself to the suffering Christ. He confides in a clergyman about his thwarted ambitions, and the clergyman suggests that Jude could become a licentiate, a lesser degree that would still allow him to participate in ministry.

Jude resolves to abandon his scholarly pursuits and pursue a clerical career, hoping to reconcile with his faith. Upon learning that Sue has moved to Melchester for teacher training, Jude decides to attend the theological college there. He intends to delay his move a few weeks to secure stonemasonry work, but rushes to Sue’s side when she sends a distressing letter. In Melchester, he finds Sue struggling under the tight regulations of the teaching college. Sue admits she promised to marry Phillotson after she completes her training. Jude tries to be supportive and vows to stay in contact with Sue regardless of her marital status. They part ways. Jude finds work and lodging and recommences his studies, focusing on theology.

Jude and Sue spend an afternoon exploring an old castle together. Jude favors paintings with religious themes, while Sue prefers secular art. They miss their train back to Melchester and are stranded overnight with a shepherd. They disagree about the merits of rustic living; Jude insists that Sue, whatever attractions she feels to it, is better suited for city life. They return the next day, and Sue gives Jude a new photograph before they part ways.

Rumors swirl at the college about Sue’s mysterious absence and supposed relationship with Jude. The principal of the college punishes Sue by confining her to a single room; she flees and seeks refuge at Jude’s lodgings, crossing a river to reach him. Jude shelters her, providing warmth and comfort as Sue reveals her motives. Despite doubts about their relationship, Jude empathizes with Sue’s plight and sees her as a kindred spirits.

Jude hides Sue from his landlady and invites her to stay the night. Over supper, they discuss education and faith. Sue surprises Jude with her extensive knowledge and unconventional life experiences, including her platonic relationship with an undergraduate who she believes died pining for her. As they delve into religion, Sue’s irreverence clashes with Jude’s beliefs, yet he is captivated by her unorthodox views. Jude longs to transcend his romantic feelings for Sue and regard her solely as a friend.

Sue, fearing the repercussions of her departure from the Training-School, seeks refuge with a friend near Shaston. Jude attempts to confess his love—and marital status—but Sue intuits his feelings and urges him not to love her. However, once in Shaston, she writes to Jude, admitting her cruelty and granting him permission to love her if he wishes. Jude visits Shaston and learns of the scandal implicating them. Sue blames Jude for withholding his affection but later apologizes, expressing a desire to reconcile their relationship in Melchester.

Meanwhile, Phillotson visits the Training-School looking for Sue, and only then learns of the scandal with Jude and Sue’s expulsion. He encounters Jude in the cathedral. Jude assures Phillotson that Sue is innocent, but also hints at his feelings for her. Later, Jude tells Sue about his marriage to Arabella. Walking together, they acknowledge various obstacles to their union and agree to maintain a platonic relationship to mask their deeper feelings.

When he learns about Sue’s impending marriage to Phillotson, Jude reflects on his role in that decision and how he feels about his drunken visit. Sue’s request for him to give her away at the wedding adds to his turmoil, yet he agrees, suggesting she stay with him until the ceremony. Sue’s curiosity prompts her to pretend to marry Jude as they visit the church, and he regrets his compliance. After the actual wedding ceremony, Sue looks back at Jude, clearly anxious, and Jude worries for her.

As he becomes increasingly restless in Melchester, Jude receives two letters: one informing him of his aunt’s illness, the other offering to give him his job back in Christminster. He decides to visit his aunt and writes to Sue, inviting her to join him. However, on his way to meet Sue, Jude encounters Arabella working as a barmaid. Duty-bound, he agrees to meet Arabella later, prioritizing his marital obligations over his planned meeting with Sue and spending the night with Arabella instead.

Jude learns of Arabella’s second marriage in Australia and feels degraded by their encounter. Later, he meets Sue, who is distraught, believing Jude missed their appointment because he had been drinking. Jude feels renewed in Sue’s presence, contrasting her ethereal spirit to Arabella’s worldliness. Drusilla presses Sue for information about her marriage to Phillotson. However, Sue refuses to speak ill of her husband until she is alone with Jude, when she confesses that their marriage may be a mistake. They part, and Jude returns to theological studies. He receives a letter from Arabella, explaining that she intends to join her second husband in running a London tavern.

Back in Melchester, Jude struggles against the urge to see Sue at Shaston while focusing on his ministry studies. He joins a local church choir, deeply moved by a hymn that resonates with his inner turmoil. He meets with the hymn’s composer, only to discover the man’s mercenary nature. Disheartened, Jude returns home to find a letter from Sue inviting him for dinner. Abandoning his resolve, Jude agrees to meet her on Good Friday, succumbing to the pull of their unresolved feelings.