Plot Summary of Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy

The story begins with Richard Phillotson’s departure from Marygreen to Christminster, and Jude, who is just 10, is unhappy with his teacher’s leaving. Phillotson’s departure makes him think of Christminster, and Jude starts to dream of going there and being a scholar in Christminster. After his teacher leaves, he tries to find sources and books and begins studying and learning Greek and Latin.

Jude meets Arabella and falls in love with her. His dreams about going to Christminster are delayed. Arabella marries Jude by telling the lie that she is pregnant. Later on, Arabella's real face is revealed and Jude learns he's been tricked and they fall apart. Arabella leaves him and goes to Australia with her family. Jude goes to Christminster to follow his dreams. 

In Christminster, Jude meets his cousin Sue and falls in love with her. At first, he thinks that loving her is immoral, yet he cannot succeed to think of her as a cousin or friend. Sue marries Phillotson when she learns that Jude has married Arabella before, later she divorces him to live with Jude. They are totally in love with each other. They live together happily, yet they never marry. They are accused of «adultery», however, they do not care about them much. They are alienated from society and judged by people. Both want to live happily by loving each other even though the social environment in which they live creates problems for them.

Arabella comes again and Jude learns that he has a son from Arabella. Little Father Time starts to live with Sue and Jude. He lacks happiness and love. The couple has two children and also Sue expects a baby. Since people judge them, they move to Christminster again, yet it is too hard to find a place with their children. When Little Father Time learns that Sue is pregnant, he rebels against her. The next day, Sue and Jude find him and their little children dead with a note “Done because we are too many.” Little Father Time kills himself and the little children because he believes that children are too many in this world. Later, Sue’s unborn child dies as well.

The death of children makes Sue think that this is a warning for returning to religion. She starts to obey religion and thinks that she belongs to Phillotson and Jude belongs to Arabella. She remarries Phillotson even if she still loves Jude. Arabella tricks Jude into remarrying. Jude goes to Sue o a rainy day, yet he cannot persuade her to come back to him, and he gets ill.

After that day, Arabella finds Jude dead at home while going to watch a boat race, yet she never cares. Jude passes out alone in Christminster. Arabella goes with Dr. Vilbert who is probably her next husband. At the funeral, there are just two people: Arabella and Mrs. Edlin.