Jude the Obscure takes place in England during the Victorian era, a period that lasted from 1837-1901. Sue marries, leaves, and divorces Jude's former schoolmaster Phillotson in the process, and Jude finally legally divorces Arabella. It's not an easy road (to put it mildly). They return to the lodging house to find that Jude's son has hanged the other two children and himself. Feeling she has been punished by God for her relationship with Jude, Sue goes back to live with Phillotson, and Jude is tricked into living with Arabella again. The rising action of Jude the Obscure follows Jude and Sue as they come to terms with their feelings for each other. In the morning, Sue goes to Jude's room and eats breakfast with him. English society during this time was marked by sexual repression and a conservative worldview that emphasized the institution of marriage and the family unit, which Hardy criticized. Jude and his cousin, Sue, attempt to see beyond the class system and social conventions of the time to find fulfillment in lo At the turn of the century, a poor boy named Jude aspires to become educated at a time when only the rich achieve higher learning.