Set in the fictional town of Casterbridge, The Mayor of Casterbridge was published in 1886. It tells the story of the rise and fall of Michael Henchard, one of Hardy’s most memorable characters. A tragic hero, whose rash nature becomes the cause of his own unbecoming, Henchard dies wishing ‘that no man remember me’. The novel has inspired several film, stage and television adaptations, the most well-known being the 2003 David Thacker movie where Irish actor Ciarán Hinds plays the role of Henchard.