Bathsheba is the mistress of Upper Weatherbury Farm. When we first meet Bathsheba, she is staying with her aunt near Gabriel Oak’s farm in Norcombe; however, shortly after she declines Gabriel’s offer of marriage, but unbeknownst to him, she inherits her uncle’s farm in Weatherbury and moves there. She becomes reacquainted with the now impoverished Gabriel by accident, taking him on as shepherd and, unofficially, confidant. Over the course of the novel, she has the equivalent of an on-and-off romance with Boldwood, whom she admires (at least initially) but does not love, agreeing potentially to marry him on several occasions; however, in between, she is taken by Sergeant Troy and does elope with him, only for Troy to disappear, then reappear, leading to the confrontation that ends with Troy dead and Boldwood in prison for his murder. At the end of the novel, Bathsheba comes to realize that she loves Gabriel, and the two marry quietly.

Bathsheba is described as a beautiful and intelligent, but tempestuous and headstrong woman, given to impulse, passion, and willful antagonism. She flirts with and teases the men in her life, causing unintended consequences, such as Boldwood’s extreme infatuation with her following a Valentine’s Day prank.