Why Duke Leto And Lady Jessica Aren't Married In Dune

This post contains spoilers for "Dune" Parts 1 and 2, as well as for Frank Herbert's novel, "Dune."

The "Dune" series has a reputation for being overly stoic, but there has always been one clear counter to that critique for fans to point to: the very romantic storyline between Jessica and Leto. These two loved each other so much that they unwittingly spurred a series of events that led to the deaths of billions of people across the universe. They're basically like Anakin and Padme from the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy, except competently written. 

But even though Jessica and Duke Leto clearly love each other, they were never married. Instead, Jessica's official role was as Leto's concubine. She bore his son, but never received the honor of being called his wife. This may sound like an insult, and in the movies, it certainly seems like an awkward topic for them to talk about; at one point in "Dune: Part 1," Leto (played here by Oscar Isaacs) tells Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) that he should've married her. It's a moment that's especially touching since we (and Leto) know that his death is almost certainly fast approaching. 

So, why didn't the two marry? Well, it's mostly a political thing.

The society in "Dune" is somewhat similar to the feudal system you'll find in the "Game of Thrones" books. The nobility in both worlds rarely marry for love but for their economic or political prospects. Just as Ned marrying Catelyn helped guarantee an alliance between the Starks and the Tullys, Leto could've secured an alliance with a powerful house/family by marrying a woman from them. 

The main difference between the customs of the "Dune" and "Game of Thrones" worlds is that there's far less stigma around children borne out of wedlock in the "Dune" universe. Leto could have a kid with his concubine, Jessica, and there would never be any doubt that the kid was his legitimate heir. In that sense, the customs in "Dune" are arguably more similar to that of feudal Japan; Lady Ochiba in "Shōgun" was "only" the late emperor's concubine, for instance, but her son with him is still considered the heir and she still maintains a powerful, revered role in her country after the emperor's death.

Leto never married a woman from a powerful family, but it seemed important that he kept that option open. If his political situation changed in a way where an alliance was necessary, he wanted to have the flexibility to adapt accordingly, which he couldn't do if he was already married to Jessica. 

Another factor was Jessica's status as a member of the Bene Gesserit, a group of very powerful, sneaky space witches. The Bene Gesserit aren't particularly beloved by most common people in the "Dune" universe, in part due to their tendency towards psychic tricks. There was a political advantage in Leto not giving off the impression that Jessica had as much power and influence in the relationship as she really did. By keeping her in the concubine role, Leto avoided any accusations that Jessica was the one in control of House Atreides. 

History works in cycles, the "Dune" books often argue, which is why it's no surprise that Leto and Jessica's son Paul ends up in a similar dynamic. In the books, he marries the Emperor's daughter, Princess Irulan, but his true love is Chani, a Fremen woman who loves him unconditionally and ends up bearing his son. It's an awkward situation for the characters to end the first book on, but at least the dynamic between Leto and Jessica helps to convince Chani (and the reader) that it could work out for them. 

The recent movies have handled things a bit differently. In "Dune: Part 2," Chani (Zendaya) ends the story very pissed off at Paul (Timothée Chalamet), choosing to leave him with Irulan rather than stick around as his concubine. It's one of the more controversial adaptive choices in the movie, although I for one will wait until "Dune: Part 3" resolves the situation before making any strong judgments. As it stands now, however, the "Dune" movies seem to have rejected the idea that there was anything truly noble about Jessica's concubine status with Leto. Jessica deserved better, "Dune: Part 2" implicitly argues, and Leto really should've just married her when he had the chance. 

Either that, or the movie's making a statement about how far Paul and Jessica have fallen morally; the concubine setup may have worked with a man as seemingly honorable as Leto, but when Chani looks at what Paul and Jessica are doing with her people, she wants nothing to do with them. Another reading of Chani's rejection of Paul is that she seems appalled by the idea of Paul marrying another woman, even if it is just for political purposes. Either way, the outcome seems clear: book Chani may have been fine with following in Jessica's unconventional footsteps, but movie Chani is a whole different story.