"I love my murderer--but yours? How can I?" ― Chapter 15
Mr. Heathcliff, or Heathcliff, is the main protagonist and anti-hero in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. He is the adoptive son of Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw, adoptive sibling of Hindley Earnshaw and Catherine Earnshaw, as well as his soulmate, the husband of Isabella Linton, and the father of Linton Heathcliff.
Mysteriously adopted into the family as a child, Heathcliff was in love with his foster sister Catherine, but after she betrayed him, he plans revenge on everyone who has wronged him.
Description[]
Heathcliff is known to be a mysterious character as his backstory outside of Wuthering Heights is unknown, such as his birth or how he had earned his fortune. He may have even been considered an inhuman monster than a human being due to his unexplained backstory. Upon being introduced to the Heights as a child, he was immediately turned down by everyone; except for Mr. Earnshaw and Catherine. After falling in love with his foster sister, he hoped to have her forever and started off as normal. But after Catherine leaves him to marry another man, Heathcliff transforms from an ordinary human into a dangerous beast-like man. He will not rest until he has accomplished the one thing he has desired since his suffering: to want vengeance against everyone for everyone the way they treated him.
However, some readers may not have known why Heathcliff had become so cruel and hateful to others around him. His intense romance with his soulmate Catherine may have had a lasting effect on him, and her death made him insane with grief, or the abuse he had endured had shaped him. In addition, he may not truly be a ruthless villain and had managed to succeed later in life after his impoverished, tragic childhood. But he cannot find the thing he had always wanted, and it is his love for Catherine.
Like Edward Rochester from Jane Eyre, Heathcliff is seen as a Byronic hero, for he lacks heroic virtues and is filled with dark, sombre qualities such as being an outcast, moody or emotional traits, etc. He is the loner in Wuthering Heights who no one loved or cared for. Heathcliff is the one character who everyone typically loves to hate, mainly because he's a Byronic character who has deep proudness and virtue in themselves but is often stern and miserable.
Storyline[]
Early Years at Wuthering Heights[]
Heathcliff was a young orphan living on the streets of Liverpool in the 1770s with unknown origins.[1] Mr. Earnshaw from Yorkshire was on a business trip to Liverpool when he discovered Heathcliff. Mr. Earnshaw tried to search who the boy belonged to, but nobody knew who he was or where he came from. Since his time in Liverpool was limited, Mr. Earnshaw took the child home with him.
After a long journey, Mr. Earnshaw arrives late at his home, Wuthering Heights. His wife, Mrs. Earnshaw, and children Hindley and Catherine notice Heathcliff, who is filthy and speaks in a language they don't understand. Mrs. Earnshaw is outraged that her husband has brought home a gypsy child into their home, but after Mr. Earnshaw explains how he found him, he insists he will live here and orders his servant, Nelly, to wash Heathcliff and let him sleep with the children.
The children are disappointed that their father has failed to bring home the gifts he had promised them before he left. Hindley's fiddle is broken, and Catherine spits on Heathcliff when she learns her whip was lost on the way home. The children refuse to share their room with Heathcliff, so Nelly leaves him on the stairs, hoping he’ll be gone in the morning. After Mr. Earnshaw finds him, he makes her confess and banishes her from the house. When she returns a few days later, Heathcliff has been christened and named after a son of the Earnshaws who died in infancy.
Catherine starts to befriend Heathcliff, but Hindley hates him for the loving affection Mr. Earnshaw gives him, even considering him his favourite child. Mrs. Earnshaw also hates Heathcliff, including Nelly. In addition, Heathcliff is a quiet child who doesn’t cry or flinch when Hindley bullies him and insists he has hurt himself by accident, which makes Mr. Earnshaw furious when Hindley mistreats him. Mrs. Earnshaw dies less than two years after Heathcliff’s arrival, and Hindley has nobody left to oppress him.
When Heathcliff, Hindley and Catherine get sick from the measles, Nelly is assigned to care for them. Heathcliff is dangerously ill but remains calm while Catherine and Hindley constantly complain. After all the children fully recover, Nelly finally starts to sympathize with him, although she doubts she will truly dote on him. Despite Mr. Earnshaw’s nurture and attention, Heathcliff barely shows any gratitude for being part of the family. One day, Mr. Earnshaw buys two young horses for his sons. When Heathcliff’s horse falls lame, he orders Hindley to lend him his handsome horse and threatens to tell their father if he refuses. He is about to run out of the stable when Hindley threatens to throw an iron weight at him, and Heathcliff warns him that he’ll tell Mr. Earnshaw that Hindley wants to kick him out of the house after their father dies and hopes Hindley will be kicked out instead. Hindley throws the iron weight at Heathcliff but quickly gets up and would have run to Mr. Earnshaw if Nelly hadn’t turned up. Hindley finally agrees to lend his horse to him but hopes the horse will break his neck and calls him an “imp of Satan.”
Heathcliff brings his horse to his stall when Hindley knocks him under his feet and runs out. Again, Heathcliff doesn’t cry and proceeds to exchange saddles and sits on a bundle of hay before returning inside. Nelly urges him to say that he has got his bruises from the horse, but he doesn’t listen to her.
A few years later, Mr. Earnshaw’s health starts failing.[2] He still loves and nurtures Heathcliff, and when Hindley continues to bully him, the curate advises Mr. Earnshaw to send his son to college, to which he agrees. With Hindley gone, Heathcliff and Catherine are able to grow closer together, and they have become inseparable soulmates. They enjoy causing mischief by running out in the moors, and the servants constantly try to keep them separate, with Mr. Earnshaw often lecturing his daughter for her wild behaviour.
One windy night in October, Heathcliff and Catherine snuggle close to Mr. Earnshaw as he sits in his chair by the fireplace. Mr. Earnshaw asks Catherine why she can be a good girl for once, and she teases him and sings him to sleep until Nelly quiets her, and everyone is silent for half an hour. Joseph then prepares to retire for the night and would rouse Mr. Earnshaw with evening prayers. But when he touches him and calls his name, he doesn’t move. Catherine embraces her father and notices that he’s dead, and she and Heathcliff start crying. But when Nelly returns after summoning a doctor and parson, she overhears Heathcliff and Catherine in a bedroom with their door ajar. It is past midnight and the young couple consoles each other that heaven is a better place.
Hindley arrives home for his father’s funeral and to claim ownership of Wuthering Heights.[3] To everyone’s surprise, he brings home a silly, simpering wife named Frances, whose origins are unknown. Immediately after his return, Hindley cuts off Heathcliff’s education and forces him to work in the fields as a servant. Despite his mistreatment, Heathcliff finds solace when Catherine teaches him what she knows and helps him work or play in the moors. Hindley ignores Heathcliff and Catherine’s mischief, and the curate and Joseph scold Hindley for his reckless supervision. They would punish the couple when they spent the entire day outside, but they just laughed at the punishments given to them.
One Sunday evening, Heathcliff and Catherine are dismissed from the sitting room for being too disruptive. They decide to walk to Thrushcross Grange, an opulent house 4 miles away, and spy on the Linton family who live there. After escaping the wash house, the couple race to the Grange and Catherine loses her shoes along the way. They crept through a hedge, walked down the path, and stood on a flowerpot to peek inside the window. Inside is the drawing room, filled with crimson furniture and white hangings. The couple spotted the Linton’s two children, Edgar and Isabella, fighting over a dog. While Isabella yells at Edgar, who is crying, Heathcliff and Catherine gawk and laugh at them. When Edgar and Isabella saw them, they ran out of the room, and a moment later, they alerted their parents. Heathcliff and Catherine tried making noises to scare them, but when the front door opened, they decided to flee. Taking Catherine’s hand, Heathcliff runs away with her, but she falls to the ground when the Linton’s dog, Skulker, bites her ankle. She begs Heathcliff to leave without her, but he tries to pry open the dog’s jaw with a rock to free her. A servant hurries toward them with a lantern. Skulker runs away as the servant picks up Catherine and carries her into the house, with Heathcliff following him.
Inside, Mr. Linton asks the servant, Robert, what has happened. Robert explains that the dog has caught a young boy and girl and mistakes them for robbers. After he gives orders to the servants, he pulls Heathcliff under the chandelier light, and Mrs. Linton puts on her glasses with her children watching. The family is shocked by Heathcliff’s appearance, and Isabella wonders if he’s the son of a fortune teller and asks her father to lock him in the cellar. While the Lintons examine him, Catherine overhears them and laughs. Edgar recognizes her from church and notices that her foot is bleeding where the dog bit her. Mrs. Linton is disgusted that Catherine is running around the moors with a gypsy boy and that her children are being exposed to his native language. Mr. Linton recognizes him as the gypsy orphan his late neighbour, Mr. Earnshaw, brought home from Liverpool. Robert then drags Heathcliff outside and orders him to leave by giving him a lantern. Before he leaves, he spies through the window again, hoping he will break the window and rescue Catherine if she wants to leave, too. He watches Catherine sit on a sofa while Mrs. Linton removes her coat, and a servant brings in a water basin to wash her feet. Mr. Linton and Isabella then give her some cakes and a hot refreshment while Edgar looks on. Her hair is combed, and she is given a large pair of warm slippers before being brought to the fire, where she shares her food with the dogs and enjoys all the attention she receives from the Lintons.
Heathcliff returns home alone in the rain. Nelly lets him inside and asks where Catherine is. After he changes his wet clothes, he explains to her what has happened to Catherine at Thrushcross Grange. Nelly warns him about the consequences Hindley will have to deal with tomorrow, and the next day, Mr. Linton arrives at Wuthering Heights to scold Hindley for his negligence. While Heathcliff isn’t punished, Hindley tells him not to talk to Catherine again.
Catherine returns home 5 weeks later on horseback.[4] Her ankle had cured, but she had changed following her stay with the Lintons, as they had pampered her and taught her to be a noble lady. She is now wearing a beautiful dress and has curly hair. Everyone is surprised by Catherine’s new appearance and admires her beauty, except for Heathcliff. Hindley orders him to come forward and greet Catherine properly. She embraces and kisses Heathcliff but criticizes and laughs at his filthy face and asks if he has forgotten her. Hindley orders him to shake hands, but he refuses and storms off, infuriated that Catherine laughed at him. She seizes him and says she didn’t mean to mock him, but he needs to wash himself as he’s dirty. He replies that he’s happy with being dirty before running out.
The Lintons are invited to Wuthering Heights for Christmas, but Mrs. Linton asks that her children be kept away from Heathcliff. He is inside the stable, brushing the pony and feeding the livestock, where Nelly finds him. She wants to dress him up so he can spend time with Catherine and impress her. He doesn’t answer her and works until 9 o’clock before heading to bed. He wakes up early the next morning and goes outside into the moors. He doesn’t return until the family leaves for church, and after summing up his courage, he asks Nelly to dress him, and she says that he has envied Catherine since she came home. But if he changes his mind, he must kiss her and be polite to her, even if it means he might fight Edgar. Heathcliff replies that if he does confront Edgar, it won’t do any good as it won’t make him handsome and noble like him.
After Heathcliff is washed, combed and dressed, Nelly thinks he looks handsome to impress Catherine. At that moment, the Lintons arrive at Wuthering Heights, and Catherine leads them inside. Nelly urges him that this is his chance to see Catherine and show himself off. But when he leaves the kitchen, Hindley opens the door when he sees him neatly dressed. He shoves Heathcliff and orders Joseph to lock Heathcliff in the garret until supper is over. Edgar peeps from the doorway and criticizes Heathcliff’s messy, long, dark hair. Furious that he has been insulted again, Heathcliff grabs some hot applesauce and throws it at Edgar’s face. Hindley seizes Heathcliff and drags him to the garret, where he’s locked for the rest of the day. During the party, Catherine appears in the garret to see him. He ignores her initially until they start talking to each other.
Later, Heathcliff is released and goes into the kitchen, where Nelly serves him some food. He hasn’t eaten since yesterday but is too delirious to eat. He then informs Nelly that he’s planning revenge on Hindley and hopes he will succeed before Hindley dies. Nelly begs him not to, and he should learn to forgive, but Heathcliff refuses as he will have it planned out.
In the summer of 1778, Frances gives birth to a son named Hareton.[5] She suffers from consumption, which results in complications of childbirth and dies a week later. Hindley is devastated and becomes an alcoholic, while Nelly is assigned to look after his newborn son. Heathcliff is satisfied with Hindley’s suffering, but he gives him more aggressive beatings. Because of Hindley’s violent behaviour and outbursts from his drinking, the curate stops visiting, and most of the servants resign from their posts, except for Joseph and Nelly. Catherine has stayed in touch with the Lintons, and Edgar starts visiting her at Wuthering Heights. She acts noble when she’s with the Lintons but acts like her wild self when with Heathcliff.
Heathcliff is now 16 years old and has endured hard labour as a servant. He hasn’t received an education and struggles to be equal to Catherine. He’s also disgusted by her ladylike attitude. One day, he asks her what she’s up to today. She says he should be working in the fields today but wants to spend the day with her. She threatens to tell on Joseph, but he says that he is away loading limes at the Penistone Crags. After several minutes of silence, Catherine says that Edgar and Isabella are coming to visit today. He then confronts her about her friends and points to a framed sheet near the window, where he has marked the times she spent with him and the Lintons. After a brief argument, Heathcliff storms out when Edgar arrives.
After Hindley returns home drunk, he grabs Hareton and drops him over the banister, but Heathcliff arrives just in time to catch Hareton.[6] Later that night, Heathcliff sits outside the kitchen and listens to Catherine confess to Nelly that Edgar has proposed marriage to her. She admits that she cannot marry Heathcliff because his low social status would degrade her. Upon hearing this, Heathcliff leaves and runs away from Wuthering Heights. Three years after his disappearance, Catherine marries Edgar and moves to Thrushcross Grange.
Return to Wuthering Heights[]
In September, six months after Catherine and Edgar’s wedding, Heathcliff returns to Yorkshire and arrives at Thrushcross Grange.[7] He finds Nelly arriving from the garden with a basket of apples. Nelly has lived with the Lintons since Catherine’s marriage. He holds his hand to the latch of the courtyard entrance, saying he has been waiting for an hour and hopes Nelly still knows him. When the moonlight falls on his face, Nelly immediately recognizes him and is surprised he has returned. He glances at the windows and wants to see Catherine. He asks her to go inside and inform her mistress that someone from Gimmerton is here to see her. Nelly worries how Catherine will react to his return, and Heathcliff demands she pass on his message to Catherine.
Nelly informs the Lintons of Heathcliff’s arrival, and Catherine is ecstatic to see him again. Nelly leads him inside and into the parlour, where Catherine brings him to Edgar and makes them hold hands. In the candlelight, Heathcliff has grown tall and polished during his three-year absence, and Edgar is at a loss for words on how to address him until he asks him to sit. Heathcliff says he’ll stay for another hour and sits opposite Catherine, who constantly stares at him, but he barely glances at her back, as they are too absorbed in their joy to suffer embarrassment. She grabs his hands and laughs. She thinks tomorrow is a dream, as she cannot believe she has seen him again. He murmurs to her that he has heard about her marriage a while ago and plans to see her one last time, finish his business with Hindley, and then end his own life. Edgar interrupts him and says he wants to have tea.
Isabella is summoned to the parlour, but nobody drinks their tea. When Heathcliff leaves, Nelly asks if he’s going to Gimmerton. He says he’s going to Wuthering Heights after Hindley invited him there. While at Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff joins Hindley and other men in a game of cards, and Heathcliff lends Hindley large sums of money to gamble. Hindley loses his money to Heathcliff but is too reckless to notice and is excited to have Heathcliff in his home. He accepts Heathcliff’s permission to return the next day and plans to live at the Heights, as it’s a walking distance from the Grange, and he’ll see Catherine frequently. While at the Heights, he’ll pay the rent and hopes to rebuild his relationship with Hindley. He enjoys staying at Wuthering Heights and swindling Hindley of his wealth. They would stay up late drinking and gambling, and after Heathcliff counts his money, he heads to the Grange to gossip with Catherine.
Heathcliff visits Thrushcross Grange frequently, which unsettles Edgar when he’s in his home. Additionally, Isabella develops a crush on Heathcliff. One day, when he returns to the Grange, Catherine restrains Isabella and humiliates her by revealing her crush on him and how they are fighting over him. Isabella begs him to let Catherine release her, and she will forget they were infatuated with each other. Heathcliff says nothing and sits down. Isabella whispers to Catherine to let her go, but she refuses and demands Heathcliff what he thinks of the news, such as Isabella loving him more than Edgar and refusing to eat. Isabella struggles until she scratches Catherine to free herself. Catherine scolds Isabella as she loosens her grip and warns him of her viciousness.
Isabella rushes out of the room, and Heathcliff asks Catherine why she was teasing her and whether what she said was true. She replies that she has been pining after him for weeks and, this morning, felt like she deserved to be punished for misbehaving and her inappropriate behaviour. Heathcliff says he appreciates her, except for her wealthy lifestyle and blue eyes that resemble Edgar’s. He asks if she’s Edgar’s heir, and she replies that several of her nephews could erase her title. She asks Heathcliff not to take any interest in possessing her sister-in-law’s property. Heathcliff wants to dismiss the conversation, and Nelly watches him closely, suspecting that there will be some foul play.
While at Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff starts teaching Hindley’s son, Hareton, bad habits, such as swearing and turning against his father.[8] He has also sent Hareton’s tutor away and threatens him if he returns. While Nelly is at Wuthering Heights and Hareton curses at her, she quickly flees when Heathcliff appears. Three days later, Heathcliff arrives at Thrushcross Grange, where Isabella feeds the pigeons in the courtyard. Initially, he plans to inspect the house facade but approaches Isabella and says something to her. She becomes embarrassed and tries to run away, but he touches her arm. After checking to see if they’re alone, he embraces her.
From the kitchen, Nelly witnesses Heathcliff embracing Isabella from the kitchen window and is shocked, reporting it to Catherine. Isabella tears herself from Heathcliff’s grasp and runs into the garden. When Heathcliff comes inside the house, Catherine confronts him about his affection for Isabella, demanding that he should leave her alone unless he gets tired of coming here and wanting Edgar to turn against him. Heathcliff wishes God would make Edgar patient and forbid him from violence. She asks if Isabella has met him on purpose, and he says he has every right to let Isabella be affectionate to him if she wishes, and Catherine has no right to object to it. Catherine says that she isn’t jealous of him but is jealous of him. She would allow him to marry Isabella but demands that he tell the truth if he loves her. Nelly asks if Edgar would approve of him marrying his sister, and she insists he should.
Heathcliff berates Catherine for treating him infernally and thinks she is a fool for wanting to console him. He argues that he will have Isabella for himself without Edgar’s approval. He declares he will have revenge and thanks Catherine for revealing Isabella’s secret. Catherine asks what she did to mistreat him and how he’ll commit his revenge. He says he has no revenge plan on her but is welcome to constantly torment him for her amusement. She tells him that he can fight Edgar and hate Isabella if he wants to, as it could be an easy way to plot revenge.
While Catherine sits by the fire and Heathcliff stands on the hearth, Nelly reports to Edgar about Heathcliff, Catherine’s argument, and Heathcliff’s affection for Isabella. Edgar is brought to the kitchen, where Heathcliff and Catherine are still arguing. Heathcliff motions her to be quiet when he sees Edgar, and he confronts his wife about her argument with Heathcliff, and she will get used to his corruption. She asks if he has been listening to them fight, which makes Heathcliff laugh and catches Edgar’s attention. Edgar tells him that he refrained from him, not that he’s degraded, but that he’s partially responsible for it. He reminds him that he’s a bad influence in his home and doesn’t want him in his home again. He demands him to leave, and Heathcliff tells Catherine that Edgar is too weak to fight and not worth quarrelling with. When Edgar motions Nelly to bring in the servants to throw Heathcliff out, Catherine shuts the men inside the kitchen and locks the door. She provokes Edgar to either fight Heathcliff or apologize to him, hoping Heathcliff will beat him senselessly and she’ll get rid of the key. Edgar tries to wrestle the key from her, but she throws it into the fireplace, leaving the men to confront each other alone.
Edgar trembles at Heathcliff, covering his face as he leans against a chair. Catherine exclaims that they are defeated and urges Edgar to fight back. Heathcliff compliments her attitude and would kick Edgar to satisfy him. Heathcliff shoves Edgar into the chair, but Edgar punches him in the neck. While Heathcliff is coughing and choking, Edgar flees from the back door and heads to the front entrance. Catherine then begs Heathcliff to leave as Edgar will return fully armed and accompanied by the servants. He might not forgive them anyway if he overhears their conversation, but again, she urges him to go. Heathcliff refuses and says he’ll crush Edgar’s ribs himself. He may kill him another time but wants to confront him face to face. Nelly says Edgar isn’t coming, but Heathcliff shouldn’t deal with the coachman and two gardeners. Not wanting to stand off against more servants, Heathcliff breaks the kitchen door lock with a fire poker and escapes before Edgar and the servants return.
Marriage, Catherine's Death and Descending Into Madness[]
A few days later, Heathcliff meets with Isabella, and he convinces her to run off with him.[9] After a secret meeting to plot their plans, Heathcliff and Isabella rode away from Thrushcross Grange early in the morning. Heathcliff also hangs Isabella’s dog, Fanny, from a tree on the Grange grounds before the couple run off. They were later spotted at the local blacksmith’s shop just after midnight to get a horseshoe fixed, which was later reported to Edgar and Nelly.
After they elope, Heathcliff and Isabella return to Wuthering Heights, where she is mistreated by Hareton, Hindley and Joseph.[10] Following her miserable first night at Wuthering Heights, she falls asleep in an empty room, where Heathcliff awakens her the next morning. She thinks he has the keys to their bedroom, but he tells her they won’t share a bedroom together. It turns out that Heathcliff only married Isabella as revenge on Edgar for marrying Catherine. He also abuses Isabella, and when he finds out about Catherine’s illness, he blames her for it instead of Edgar.
The next day, Nelly arrives at Wuthering Heights to see Isabella after she writes her a letter about her estranged marriage.[11] Heathcliff sits reading his pocketbook, and when he sees Nelly arrive, he invites her to sit with him. Isabella arrives to see Nelly and asks for a letter from Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff notices their conversation and tells Nelly that if she wants to give something to Isabella, she can give it out as she won’t keep a secret. Nelly says she has come to inform Isabella that Edgar won’t write or visit her but sends his token of love and wishes of happiness to her. He plans to cut off any contact with Wuthering Heights. Isabella sits at the window disappointed, and Heathcliff stands on the hearth, asking for news about Catherine. She says that Catherine is recovering, but she may never be her old self again. She convinces Heathcliff to forget about her entirely and leave the country if he still cares about her. She also says that her mistress is a more different woman than the original Catherine that Heathcliff used to remember her by, as her personality and appearance have changed completely.
While trying to force himself to be calm, Heathcliff admits that Edgar should sustain his civility and duties. However, he denies leaving Catherine alone with Edgar and Nelly, comparing his feelings to her. He tells Nelly before she leaves, she must allow him to visit Catherine at Thrushcross Grange, as he desperately needs to see her. Nelly refuses, saying that another quarrel between him and Edgar would only cause her to worsen. Heathcliff would go to extreme lengths if Edgar were responsible for Catherine’s misery. While Edgar still hates him, he would never raise a hand against him. Even if she still needed him, he wouldn’t have removed him from her society, and if she stopped caring about him, he would have “torn his heart out and drank his blood.” Nelly interrupts him that he has no hesitation about having Catherine back in his life by abruptly seeing her when she has nearly forgotten him. He declines that she has forgotten him, as he knows she still thinks about him more than Edgar. Following his return to Yorkshire last summer, his thoughts have been haunted by her and that death and hell would affect his future. He believes he would be in hell if he couldn’t have her back again and that she appears to value her husband more than him, which makes him a fool.
Isabella argues that Catherine and Edgar have always been fond of each other and won’t allow anyone to talk about her brother in that manner. Heathcliff turns to her and asks if Edgar is fond of Edgar, who just turned her away. She replies that Edgar isn’t aware of her misery but has written a note to him about it, and Heathcliff knows about it. Nelly remarks that Isabella took a turn for the worse in her condition. Heathcliff insults Isabella by saying she is tired of trying to please him. He claimed that after they were married, she wanted to return home, but he thinks she will be the ideal housewife, and he’ll ensure she won’t leave him. Nelly says that Isabella has always been a pampered woman who is used to being waited on and deserves a housemaid. He also must treat her kindly. She admits that no matter how much Heathcliff hates Edgar, Isabella is used to her noble lifestyle and won’t abandon her old life for the new one she doesn’t know about.
Heathcliff argues that Isabella gave up her nobility and became infatuated with him. He admits that he never loved her and has succeeded in making her hate him. He asks Isabella if she really hates him or if she will start pining for him if he leaves her alone for half a day. He says that it’s her fault that she fell in love with him, and when he hanged her dog before they fled from Thrushcross Grange, she pleaded to spare her dog’s life. However, instead of being shocked by his abuse, she admired his brutality. He asks Nelly to tell Edgar that he has never met such a miserable as Isabella, who disgraces her maiden name. No matter how much she experiences his brutality, she will always stick to him. He also wants Nelly to inform Edgar that he won’t give her the right to leave him, but if she does, it’s her decision.
Nelly and Isabella think he’s insane. Nelly says that because of this, Isabella stays with him but will gladly accept the permission if Heathcliff allows her to leave him. She asks Isabella if she wants to stay with him, and Isabella calls Heathcliff a liar and a monster and says she shouldn’t believe his lies. She reveals that she tried to leave him once but didn’t do it again. She begs Nelly not to inform Catherine or Edgar about the conversation and claims that Heathcliff only married her so he can easily overpower Edgar. Heathcliff cuts off the conversation and tells Nelly that if she is called upon in a court of law, she’ll remember Isabella’s language and judging by her appearance, she appears loyal to him. As her legal protector, she must remain in his custody no matter how toxic their marriage becomes. He then orders Isabella to go upstairs as he needs to talk to Nelly alone and throws her out of the room.
Nelly asks if he knows what pity means and if it impacts his life before she leaves. Heathcliff forbids her from leaving and demands her to help him with a visit to Catherine without delay, and doesn’t desire to cause any harm or disturbance to Edgar. He wants to see her and why she’s unwell; he will also ask her if he can do anything for her. He claims he was in the Thrushcross Grange garden for six hours last night and is determined to return tonight. He declares that he will stay there until he sees his opportunity to enter the premises, and if he does see Edgar, he won’t fight him, and if the servants confront him, he’ll confront them with firearms. But he thinks he can easily slip into the house without Edgar or the servants noticing him, and Nelly can do it easily. He reminds her that when he arrives, she will let him inside unnoticed when she leaves and then wait until he leaves. She protests participating in his plan, saying that Catherine is too fragile to handle his surprise visit. She begs him not to carry out his plan, or she will inform Edgar and have Thrushcross Grange secured from intruders. Heathcliff then threatens to hold her hostage until tomorrow morning and finds it foolish that Catherine can’t endure his visit. He demands Nelly to prepare Catherine for his arrival and thinks she is a spy for Edgar when his name isn’t mentioned at the Grange. He believes that Catherine isn’t at peace at the Grange and is actually suffering. He also condemns Edgar for his treatment of her, so he forces Nelly to either help him arrange his visit or he will keep her hostage.
Nelly tries arguing and protesting but relents and would deliver Heathcliff’s letter to Catherine at Thrushcross Grange, and if she accepts the permission, he can come over to the Grange.
A few days later, while Edgar is away at church and Nelly gives Catherine the letter, Heathcliff arrives at Thrushcross Grange and enters Catherine’s bedroom shortly after she receives his letter.[12] He enters Catherine’s bedroom and holds her in his arms, and they kiss for a few minutes before Heathcliff laments about his life. Catherine tells him that he and Edgar have broken her heart, and claims that they both brought her sadness. She won’t pity Heathcliff and wonders how long he’ll live after her death. He embraces her and is about to get up, but she keeps him down by grabbing his hair. She wishes that she can hold him until they are dead and doesn’t care about his sufferings. She asks him if he will forget about her and be happy after her death, and he begs not to torture him until he has become mad like her. He condemns her for talking to him that way when she’s dying, and whatever words she’s says will be stuck in his mind forever. He tells her that she’s lying that she killed him, and that he would very well forget about her, as he finds it insufficient for her to be at peace while he rots in hell.
Catherine moans that she will never be at peace and doesn’t wish to torment him; she only wishes that they will never be apart again and ask for forgiveness as she begs him to come closer to her. Heathcliff gets up and abruptly walks to the fireplace, standing there with his back to the women. Catherine laments to Nelly that he doesn’t seem to change his mind to save her from dying, and he wasn’t the man she used to love, before beckoning Heathcliff to come back to her. She gets up while supporting herself from the arm of the chair, and Heathcliff turns to her desperately as she leaps toward him. He catches her and they embrace, but he curses her for being selfish and cruel, asking why she betrayed him. He tells her that she has killed herself, and she may kiss and embrace him, but it is her own fault that she has broken her heart, just like how she has broken his heart. He laments on whether he should think, and shudders the idea of Catherine living as a soul. She sobs as she admits she has done wrong and begs him to forgive her. He finds it hard to forgive her, and when he does, he cannot forgive her “murdered self”. The couple then weep.
Meanwhile, Nelly senses that the church service at the Gimmerton Chapel has ended, and she informs the couple that Edgar will return in half an hour. She urges Heathcliff that he must leave immediately, and he tells Catherine that if he lives, he will see her again when she’s asleep, but she begs him to stay. He insists he must go, but she clings onto him, begging him not to leave her. He senses that Edgar is here, and hopes that if Edgar kills him, he will at least die with a blessing. Nelly asks him if he will still listen to Catherine’s ravings and again begs him to leave. She screams as Edgar walks in, but is relieved to see that Catherine’s arms are relaxed and her head down. Edgar storms towards Heathcliff, but Heathcliff places Catherine into Edgar’s arms, demanding him to look after her first before dealing with him. Afterwards, Heathcliff sits in the parlour until Nelly asks him to leave, assuring him that Catherine is well and will inform him about her the following morning. Heathcliff says he will stay in the garden, and will still visit whether Edgar is here or not.
At midnight, Catherine goes into premature labour and gives birth to a daughter named Cathy. Catherine then dies two hours later. The next morning, Nelly finds Heathcliff in the park leaning against a tree where she is about to inform him the news of Catherine’s death. Heathcliff immediately knows what she will say and cries that Catherine is dead. Nelly starts to cry and confirms the news. Heathcliff asks how Catherine died, and Nelly replies that Catherine fell asleep quietly and passed away 5 minutes later. Heathcliff then asks if Catherine ever mentioned him before her death, but Nelly says she didn’t recognize anyone after he left. She hopes that Catherine has awakened somewhere peaceful, but Heathcliff hopes she will wake in torment. In a frightened tone, Heathcliff declares that Catherine has been a liar toward the end and isn’t resting in heaven. He tells Catherine she will never rest as long as he lives and begs her spirit to haunt him and drive him insane so he won’t be alone without her. He then slams his head against the tree trunk and howls in grief, leaving bloodstains on his head and on the tree. Afterwards, he demands Nelly to leave him.
Catherine’s funeral is scheduled to be held on Friday. Catherine’s body lay in repose in the drawing room, and Edgar spends all his time at her side. Heathcliff would stand outside in the evenings, and when Edgar goes to sleep one night after suffering from fatigue from watching over Catherine, Nelly opens one of the windows, giving Heathcliff the chance to come in and see Catherine for the final time. Nelly then finds Heathcliff replaced Edgar’s lock of hair with his own in Catherine’s locket, and she twines them together. Catherine is then laid to rest in the corner of the kirkyard overlooking the moors.
Ownership of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange[]
The night Catherine is laid to rest, Heathcliff goes out to pay his final respects.[13] It is almost midnight and a raging snowstorm arrives. But when he returns home, he finds the entrance door locked and tries the other one; Hindley locked him out while he was away. Isabella opens a window and begs him not to come in as Hindley is planning to kill him, but Heathcliff demands to be let in. She refuses and shuts the window. Heathcliff then knocks the window door and pokes his head through it, threatening Isabella to let him inside. Isabella warns him Hindley is armed with a knife and loaded pistol, and Heathcliff demands to be let inside from the kitchen door. Isabella tells him he should lie down and die at Catherine’s grave, as he doesn’t deserve to live after losing Catherine.
Hindley rushes to the window, but Heathcliff snatches his knife from him. Hindley’s pistol fires and Heathcliff stabs Hindley’s wrist with his knife. Heathcliff then breaks the window with a rock, bursts inside, and attacks Hindley into unconsciousness. At the same time, he holds Isabella’s hand to prevent her from running off to find Joseph. Afterwards, Heathcliff drags Hindley to the settle, tears off Hindley’s coat sleeve and roughly bandages the wound. Isabella summons Joseph, and Heathcliff tells him that Hindley is insane and should be sent to an insane asylum. He orders Joseph to clean up the mess by shoving him to the ground and throwing a towel at him. He shakes Isabella and demands she help Joseph clean up, too. His then plans to go to the Grange immediately to inform Edgar of what just happened. Joseph revives Hindley with some alcohol, and Heathcliff orders him to go to bed, saying he’s intoxicated, before leaving.
The next morning, Isabella finds a sickly Hindley sitting by the fire, and Heathcliff leaning against the chimney. Isabella eats breakfast alone and gives Hindley some water, asking him about his wounds. Hindley doesn’t remember what happened last night, and Isabella explains how Heathcliff attacked him. Hindley groans that he wishes to have enough strength to kill Heathcliff. Isabella says that Catherine would have still been alive at the Grange if it hadn’t been for Heathcliff. She even remarks how happy she and Catherine were before Heathcliff returned. She notices Heathcliff shedding tears and laughs at him. Heathcliff orders her to leave, and she says that she still loves Catherine and Hindley needs assistance, even seeing Catherine in her brother’s eyes now that she’s dead. Heathcliff again orders her to leave, and Isabella insults him that Catherine would have been different if she married him instead of degrading him, and became brutish just like him. Enraged, Heathcliff grabs a kitchen knife and throws it at her, leaving a bloody cut under her ear. Both Heathcliff and Hindley start fighting as Isabella escapes Wuthering Heights and heads to Thrushcross Grange, before leaving Yorkshire for good.
Isabella seeks refuge in London, where she gives birth to a son named Linton a few months later. One day, Heathcliff meets Nelly in the village and asks where his wife is. Heathcliff remarks that he doesn’t want to know anytime, except that she shouldn’t return to Edgar. Eventually, Heathcliff discovers Isabella’s whereabouts, and his son’s existence. However, he doesn’t plan to go after them, and whenever he sees Nelly, he would ask her about the child. When he learns his son’s name, he asks if he expects to hate his son, too. Nelly replies he shouldn’t know anything about it, and Heathcliff assures he will have his son when he wants to.
6 months after Catherine’s death, Hindley dies deeply in debt. Nelly goes to Wuthering Heights to retrieve Hareton. Heathcliff isn’t expecting to see her, but says she can stay and arrange the funeral preparations. He says that Hindley should be buried in the crossroads without a ceremony, and claims that he left him alone for 10 minutes yesterday afternoon, and Hindley locked him out in and drank heavily throughout the night. The next day, Heathcliff and the others broke inside the house where they found Hindley lying on the settle. After Mr. Kenneth was summoned, Hindley was already dead. Joseph confirms Heathcliff’s statement by saying that Hindley should have called for the doctor himself, and would have looked after him properly. He also claims Hindley wasn’t dead yet when he left him.
Nelly insists there be some respect for the funeral. Heathcliff explains that it was his plan all along to seize Hindley’s wealth by lending him large amounts of money to support his gambling addiction. Hindley’s coffin is carried out of the house, and Heathcliff lifts Hareton onto a table and declares he belongs to him now. Hareton starts stroking Heathcliff’s face and Nelly insists that Hareton must return to Thrushcross Grange with her, by Edgar’s orders. Heathcliff refuses to talk about it and asks her to inform her master that he will be looked after at the property if he plans to remove it. He refuses to allow Hareton to leave Wuthering Heights, and insists he will eventually make his son Linton live with him as well.
Heathcliff now claims ownership of Wuthering Heights, and since Hindley mortgaged his entire property with the money for his gambling, Heathcliff inherits all of it. As for Hareton, he is forced to live Heathcliff as an impoverished servant and is dependent on him.
13 years later, Isabella dies and Edgar brings Linton to Yorkshire.[14] After learning of his son’s arrival, Heathcliff sends Joseph to Thrushcross Grange to inform Edgar that Heathcliff wants custody of Linton, and must be brought over tomorrow. Early the next morning, Nelly brings Linton to Wuthering Heights.[15] Heathcliff greets Nelly and says he should have gone to Thrushcross Grange to retrieve his son himself. When he sees Linton, he decides to see him face-to-face. Linton becomes frightened as Hareton, Joseph and Heathcliff stare at him. Heathcliff looks at him confused, and then laughs scornfully at Linton’s charming appearance. Linton then clings onto Nelly and cries when Heathcliff beckons him to come forward.
Heathcliff drags Linton toward him and says he won’t hurt him. He removes Linton’s hat and examines his blonde, curly hair and fair skin. Linton stops crying, and Heathcliff asks him if he knows him. Linton replies no, and Heathcliff calls Isabella a slut for never mentioning her son’s father to him. He orders Linton to behave, tells Nelly to leave and report to the Grange what she has seen. Nelly reminds Heathcliff to be kind to Linton, or he won’t keep him for long. Heathcliff laughs and assures her he will take good care of him. He orders Joseph to bring some breakfast for Linton and then orders Hareton to get to work. He adds to Nelly that he knows that Linton owns Thrushcross Grange and hopes he will live long enough for him to be his successor. He may already despise his son, but he still insists he will be in his good care. He has a room upstairs furnished for him, and will hire a tutor to educate Linton 3 times per week. He will also make Hareton obey Linton, and hopes Linton will become a gentleman for everything he does to him. However, he also despises Linton’s weak, whiny voice.
At that moment, Joseph returns with a bowl of milk-porridge for Linton, who refuses to eat it and demands Joseph to take it away. Joseph ends up removing the bowl, and informs Heathcliff that Linton refuses to eat them, like his mother. Heathcliff angrily demands Joseph not to mention Isabella and orders him to bring some food Linton would eat. He asks Nelly what Linton eats, and she suggests serving him boiled milk or tea. As Nelly prepares to go, Linton begs her not to leave him as she returns to Thrushcross Grange.
Linton becomes more seclusive as he adjusts to his new life at Wuthering Heights.[16] He is still weak and is constantly sick, spending his time either in bed or the parlour. Heathcliff already hates his son’s whiny voice, as he is always complaining and doesn’t get along with Hareton. 3 years later, Heathcliff meets Edgar’s daughter, Cathy, on the moors while she’s bird hunting on her 16th birthday. She was hunting for nests on the ground 2 miles from Wuthering Heights, and Heathcliff scolds her. Cathy insists she didn’t take anything from the nests, but just wanted to see the bird eggs her father told her about. Heathcliff asks her who her father is, and Cathy replies he’s Edgar Linton of Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff even sarcastically asks if he’s highly esteemed and respected.
Cathy notices Hareton standing next to Heathcliff and asks Heathcliff if Hareton is his son. Nelly appears and interrupts Cathy that they must return home. Heathcliff replies that Hareton isn’t his son, but he does have one that she has met before. He suggests to Nelly and Cathy they should come to his house to rest, where they’ll receive a warm welcome. Nelly whispers to Cathy that she shouldn’t go, but Cathy says she’s tired from running on the moors, and insists they go. She asks Heathcliff if his son lives at Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff replies yes and orders Nelly to come with him. Nelly struggles against Heathcliff as he grabs her arm and Cathy approaches the front steps of the house, while Hareton walks away to the roadside.
Nelly tells Heathcliff that this is wrong and she will get into trouble when Edgar learns that Cathy went to Wuthering Heights to see Linton. Heathcliff says that he wants Cathy to see Linton again, as he is looking better in the past few days, and they will persuade Cathy to keep her visit a secret. He hopes that Cathy and Linton will fall in love and get married, and wants to offer generosity to Edgar. Once everything goes well, Cathy will be Linton’s successor. Nelly says that if Linton dies, Cathy will be the heir. Heathcliff denies this, as it wasn’t secured in the will, and his son’s property would go to him. But he’s still determined to arrange a union between Linton and Cathy. They approach the gate, and Nelly assures him that Cathy will never go anyway near the Heights again. Heathcliff quiets her as they enter the house.
Heathcliff warmly addresses Cathy as she stares at him confusedly. Linton is standing on the hearty, demanding Joseph to bring him his shoes. Heathcliff asks Cathy to guess who Linton, and she guesses he’s his son. Heathcliff replies yes and then asks Linton if he remembers Cathy. Cathy suddenly recognizes him and kisses him, surprised to see he’s has grown taller. She then tells Heathcliff that he is her uncle, and asks him to visit the Grange with Linton. Heathcliff tells her that he has been to the Grange at least once or twice before she was born. Cathy scolds Nelly for trying to prevent her from entering the Heights and wants to visit it often.
Meeting Mr. Lockwood[]
Final Days and Death[]
Personality/Appearance[]
Relationships[]
Catherine Earnshaw[]
Heathcliff's romantic soulmate. She was also his foster sister as they grew up together after being taken in by Catherine's father Mr. Earnshaw. As adults, both Catherine and Heathcliff were an intense, inseparable romantic couple, who often sought their happiness and freedom by running around the Yorkshire Moors where their home Wuthering Heights is located. But after Catherine falls in love and marries Edgar, Heathcliff is devastated and outraged that his only love would betray him and their relationship starts to dwindle. After Catherine's death, Heathcliff is so tormented of her that he pleads for her spirit to haunt him, which causes him to go insane but obsessed. Out of all the few people he had been close to, Catherine may possibly be the only person he ever truly loved.
Isabella Linton[]
Heathcliff's wife. Despite being in love with Catherine, he starts to have a romantic liking with Isabella and even flirts with her. But in actuality, Heathcliff never loved Isabella like he was to Catherine, and he pretended to be in love with her so he can take revenge on the Linton's and Thrushcross Grange. The couple secretly elope, but Heathcliff takes out his hatred and abuse on Isabella, even blaming her for causing Catherine's illness in Edgar’s place. His wife eventually leaves him, flees to London and never sees her again.
Linton Heathcliff[]
Heathcliff's son. After finding out he has a child by his wife arriving at Yorkshire, Heathcliff arranges to have Linton into his custody and brought to the Heights. But he was far from being a loving, devoted father to his son. He is cruel to him, annoyed by Linton's whiny, bratty attitude and doesn't even care for him since he was sickly and weak. In order to accomplish his goal to achieve the Grange for himself, he forces Linton to court Edgar's daughter Cathy and have him marry her. The plan works, but Linton becomes sicker and dies sometime later and Heathcliff never shows any grief or remorse of his son's death.
Hindley Earnshaw[]
Heathcliff's foster brother and enemy. After being adopted into the family, Heathcliff was not loved by Hindley, who was jealous of him being more affectionate by his father. Heathcliff also despises him as well, as they sometimes fight over some gifts they had received, such as a horse for each of them. After Mr. Earnshaw passes away, Heathcliff was made into a servant by Hindley, the new master of the Heights, and receives more brutal treatment from him. Heathcliff intervenes of his enemy's abuse by swindling him of his gambling and finally gaining ownership to the Heights as his act of revenge towards Hindley.
Hareton Earnshaw[]
Heathcliff's nephew and servant. He took the boy in after the death of Hindley, Hareton's father, and treats him as his own. He cuts off his education and forbids him from leaving the Heights; therefore making Hareton his illiterate but devoted servant. He also trained Hareton to be cruel like him and to turn against others. He later feels emotional when he looks at his servant since he resembles like his late aunt Catherine.
Cathy Linton[]
Heathcliff's niece and servant. He wants her to marry his son Linton and claim inheritance at Thrushcross Grange. He made sure she shared a correspondence with Linton and his plan would work, but in addition, he is also unkind and ruthless towards her after she moves into the Heights. Like Hareton, Heathcliff later felt emotional when he saw that Cathy reminds him a lot like her deceased mother Catherine.
Nelly Dean[]
A servant who grew up with Heathcliff and seen most of his actions in her point of view. Heathcliff can be harsh with her, mostly when he wants something from her. He threatened to hold her hostage when she refused to take him to the Grange to see Catherine and locks her up along with Cathy at the Heights. Towards the end of his life, however, Heathcliff rants to Nelly about seeing Heaven and Catherine's spirit.
Quotes/Relatable Quotes[]
Portrayals[]
In the 2009 TV miniseries, Heathcliff is portrayed by Declan Wheeldon as a child and Tom Hardy as an adult.