Objectives

• Analyse how Hardy uses the wife-sale in Chapter 1 to establish Henchard's hamartia and its consequences for the novel's tragic structure.
• Explain how Hardy constructs the Henchard–Farfrae relationship in Chapters 5 and 10 as a structural foil that accelerates Henchard's fall.
• Analyse how Hardy uses the skimmington ride in Chapter 13 to dramatise the collision of public shame, private guilt, and fate.
• Evaluate how Hardy presents Henchard's death in Chapter 16 and Abel Whittle's testimony as the culmination of the novel's tragic and redemptive arc.
• Write a sustained, evidenced analytical paragraph that integrates close language analysis, structural comment, and contextual understanding of Victorian tragedy.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: The Wife-Sale: Establishing Henchard's Hamartia in Chapter 1

   60 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Read the following sentence from Chapter 1: 'The movements and bearing of the couple showed them to be people of a low station.' Write two observations: what does Hardy's narrative voice suggest about the reader, and what does the word 'low' convey beyond merely indicating class? No notes needed — write from your gut.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the auction passage in Chapter 1, from 'I'll sell her' to 'she's yours for five guineas.' Demonstrate how Hardy's use of free indirect discourse — 'she was his' — keeps us aligned with Henchard's rationalization instead of Susan's horror. Highlight how the repeated noun 'lot' dehumanizes Susan, while the increasing bid price ironically boosts her market value. Identify this as hamartia: the flaw lies not just in drink but also in Henchard's tendency to view people as commodities he can manipulate.

   Independent task

   Students should write one analytical paragraph using the PEEL structure to answer the question: "How does Hardy use language in the wife-sale scene to portray Henchard as a tragic figure?" They need to include at least two quotes from the auction passage in Chapter 1, discuss Hardy's narrative voice, and reference the Aristotelian concept of hamartia as introduced in the teacher's input. The paragraphs will be collected and assessed based on the accuracy of the quotations and the quality of the language analysis.

   Exit ticket

   Henchard's impulsive decision to sell his wife in Chapter 1 illustrates his tragic error in judgment, leading to his eventual downfall.

2. Lesson 2: Rise and Rivalry: Farfrae as Structural Foil in Chapters 5 and 10

   60 min · ch. 5, 10

   Do now

   1. Donald Farfrae is an intelligent and ambitious young man.
   2. He has a talent for business and is well-respected by others in the community.
   3. Farfrae's arrival in Casterbridge creates tension between him and Henchard.

   I predict that Farfrae and Henchard's friendship will not survive the novel because Henchard's pride and jealousy often lead him to make impulsive decisions that jeopardize his relationships.

   Teacher input

   Model a structural comparison using two passages: Farfrae's singing of 'It's hame, and it's hame' at the Three Mariners in Chapter 5, and the moment in Chapter 10 when Henchard observes Farfrae's workers laughing with him in the yard. Analyze how Hardy contrasts Farfrae's communal, musical warmth with Henchard's isolated, transactional authority, suggesting that Farfrae's rise feels not only inevitable but also justified. This structural irony enhances the tragedy, as Henchard is the one who brought Farfrae to Casterbridge.

   Independent task

   Students create a comparison table organized into three rows (language, characterisation, Hardy's narrative attitude) and two columns (Chapter 5 passage / Chapter 10 passage). Following that, they write a brief paragraph of 80 to 120 words that discusses what the differences between the two passages reveal about the novel's tragic structure. Both the table and the paragraph should be submitted together. The paragraph must include at least one specific word or phrase from each chapter.

   Exit ticket

   The word 'inevitable' in relation to Farfrae's rise suggests that his success was bound to happen, and Hardy chooses this portrayal to emphasize the natural progression of events rather than to cast Farfrae as a villain.

3. Lesson 3: Public Shame and Private Guilt: The Skimmington Ride in Chapter 13

   60 min · ch. 13

   Do now

   Read this definition on the board: 'A skimmington ride was a public shaming ritual where effigies of those who broke social norms were paraded through the streets accompanied by the clamor of pots and pans.' Now write: who in the novel so far has done something socially unacceptable enough to warrant this kind of treatment — and who ends up receiving it? What does the difference between these two answers reveal to you?

   Teacher input

   Model a reading of the paragraph in Chapter 13 where Lucetta observes the skimmington procession from her window and identifies the effigies as herself and Henchard. Pay attention to Hardy's verb choices — 'convulsed', 'staggered', 'collapsed' — and illustrate how Lucetta's physical decline reflects the unraveling of her social identity. Highlight the irony that Jopp, driven by personal resentment after Henchard denied him a job, becomes the cause of her downfall — demonstrating Hardy's perspective on fate being shaped more by human malice than by divine intervention.

   Independent task

   Students should compose a detailed analytical paragraph addressing the question: "How does Hardy use the skimmington ride in Chapter 13 to present the relationship between fate and human agency?" In their response, they need to include quotations from Hardy’s verb choices in the Lucetta window passage, discuss Jopp's role as an agent of fate, and make connections to the wife-sale in Chapter 1 as the initial wrongdoing that enables this moment. The paragraphs will be submitted, and the teacher will evaluate them based on how well they link back to Chapter 1 structurally.

   Exit ticket

   Is Lucetta caught in the web of fate, ensnared by Henchard's previous choices, or subjected to Jopp's malicious intentions?

4. Lesson 4: Deception and Rejection: Newson's Return and Henchard's Lie in Chapter 14

   60 min · ch. 1, 7, 14

   Do now

   On the board: 'Henchard told Newson that Elizabeth-Jane was dead.' Write for three minutes: is this the worst thing Henchard has done in the novel? Compare it to the wife-sale in Chapter 1, where he abandoned Susan, and his harsh treatment of Elizabeth-Jane after reading Susan's letter in Chapter 7. Be specific — identify the act and the victim each time.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the moment in Chapter 14 when Henchard watches Newson walk away after the lie, with a focus on the free indirect discourse: 'He had done it — the thing he had most dreaded.' Demonstrate to students how Hardy's syntax — the dash and the past perfect tense — highlights the gap between action and recognition. This reflects the structural pattern of the entire novel: Henchard acts on impulse and only later grasps the consequences. Relate this to Aristotle's idea of anagnorisis — the moment of tragic recognition — and consider whether this truly represents Henchard's moment of self-awareness.

   Independent task

   Students will write a comparative paragraph of 120 to 150 words that addresses the following question: "How does Henchard's lie to Newson in Chapter 14 compare to his vow of sobriety the morning after the wife-sale in Chapter 1? What does this comparison reveal about Henchard's potential for change?" They should include quotes from both chapters and accurately use the term "anagnorisis." The paragraphs will be submitted and evaluated based on the quality of their cross-novel structural argument.

   Exit ticket

   Anagnorisis is the moment in a story when a character makes a critical discovery about themselves or their situation. Please indicate the chapter number in which you believe Henchard experiences his most authentic moment of self-awareness, and be prepared to justify your choice in the next lesson.

5. Lesson 5: The Will and the Waste: Henchard's Death and Hardy's Tragic Vision in Chapter 16

   60 min · ch. 10, 16

   Do now

   Read Henchard's will from Chapter 16 on the board: 'That no man remember me… That no mourners walk behind me… That no flowers be planted on my grave… That no man remember me.' Count the repetitions. Write: Why does Hardy give Henchard a will that asks to be forgotten when the entire novel tells the story of a man who couldn't escape being remembered?

   Teacher input

   Model a reading of Abel Whittle's speech in Chapter 16, where he shares that he stayed with Henchard on Egdon Heath because Henchard had once shown kindness to his mother. Explore how Hardy employs Whittle — the most socially marginal character in the novel, the man whom Henchard publicly shamed by making him work without his breeches in Chapter 10 — as the sole witness to Henchard's death. This structural choice prompts the reader to reconsider Henchard's ability to be kind, while Whittle's loyalty provides a form of redemption that the novel chooses not to explicitly acknowledge.

   Independent task

   Students need to write a complete exam-length response — between 300 and 400 words — to the question: 'How does Hardy use Henchard's death in Chapter 16 to convey his tragic vision of fate, guilt, and redemption?' In their responses, they must: analyze Hardy's language in the will; discuss Abel Whittle's role as a witness; refer to at least one earlier chapter (Chapter 1, 10, or 13) structurally; and accurately use at least two of the following terms — hamartia, anagnorisis, catharsis, free indirect discourse. These responses will be collected as the summative draft.

   Exit ticket

   Does Hardy's ending offer Henchard redemption, or does it deny it? The outcome remains ambiguous, as the will's use of the word "forgive" suggests a lingering hope for redemption.

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 exit ticket: precision of the term used to replace 'flaw' — looking for students moving toward concepts like 'compulsion', 'self-deception', or 'commodification' rather than vague moral judgements.
• Lesson 2 comparison table: checking that students can identify specific language choices in both Chapter 5 and Chapter 10 rather than paraphrasing plot — the table column for 'Hardy's narrative attitude' is the key diagnostic.
• Lesson 3 paragraph: marking whether students connect Jopp's role in Chapter 13 back to his rejection by Henchard as an originating cause — this tests whether students are reading structurally rather than episodically.
• Lesson 4 exit ticket: checking whether students can locate anagnorisis accurately — a student who places it at the wife-sale in Chapter 1 has not understood the concept; a student who places it at Chapter 14 or Chapter 16 and can justify it is working at the right level.
• Lesson 5 exit ticket: checking whether students can hold the ambiguity of the ending without resolving it into simple redemption or simple condemnation — the quality of the single quoted word from the will is the diagnostic.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.3 — Analyse the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g. where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
• W.11-12.9 — Draw evidence from literary texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Develop a thesis that makes a defensible claim about an interpretation of literature.
• Textual Evidence (LAN-1.C) — Identify and use relevant evidence to support a literary argument, including direct quotation and close reading of specific passages.
• Figurative Language and Tone (FIG-1) — Explain the function of specific words and phrases, including connotative and figurative language, in shaping meaning and tone.
• Structure and Narrative Choices (STR-1) — Analyse how an author's structural choices — including narrative perspective, sequencing, and juxtaposition — contribute to the work's meaning.
• Character and Motivation (CHR-1) — Analyse how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

AQA

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received (Victorian serialisation; agricultural disruption; Aristotelian tragic form).
• AO5 — Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations (Hardy's tragic vision read through Aristotelian hamartia and anagnorisis; critical debate about whether Henchard earns redemption).

Edexcel

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received.
• AO4 — Explore connections across literary texts, including structural and thematic links between chapters within The Mayor of Casterbridge.