Boldwood Attempts Suicide

William Boldwood’s attempted suicide follows immediately upon his shooting of Sergeant Troy at the Christmas gathering. The failed second shot does not undo the violence: Troy lies dead, and Boldwood departs in a state of despair, leaving his fate unresolved in the scene.

The Moment Before the Shot

Troy enters and orders Bathsheba to come home with him. She sits motionless on the lowest stair, unable to respond, then shrinks away when he reaches for her. When he seizes her arm and pulls, she gives a quick, low scream. From near the fireplace, Boldwood has just urged Bathsheba to go with her husband; the sudden report that follows turns the gathering’s stunned attention toward him.

Boldwood Turns the Gun on Himself

Boldwood takes one of the guns from the farmhouse gun-rack, cocks it, and fires at Troy from close range. Troy falls and lies still. Boldwood then turns to the double-barrelled gun and arranges his handkerchief on the trigger, placing his foot on its other end as he prepares to fire the second barrel at himself. His intended death follows in the same instant as Troy’s killing, as if the act against his rival cannot be separated from the destruction of his own future.

The Second Shot and Departure

Samway, Boldwood’s man, rushes to stop him. Boldwood has already pulled the handkerchief when Samway’s timely blow diverts the shot into a ceiling beam. Boldwood says that the interruption makes no difference and that another way remains for him to die. He breaks free, crosses to Bathsheba, and kisses her hand. Then he puts on his hat, opens the door, and walks into the darkness; no one attempts to prevent him.

Consequences and Significance

The thwarted suicide does not provide a resolution to Boldwood’s crisis. He has killed Troy, tried to kill himself, and left the gathering without disclosing what he will do next. The abrupt movement from the gunshot to the second threatened shot makes the scene’s reversal stark: the weapon that ends Troy’s life nearly ends Boldwood’s as well. His final kiss to Bathsheba, after urging her to go with her husband and then killing that husband, condenses the scene’s incompatible acts of attachment, despair, and violence.