Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights never truly marries for love. In Emily Brontë's classic novel, he weds Isabella Linton in a calculated act of revenge against her brother Edgar and his lost love, Catherine Earnshaw, whom he could never marry due to class differences. Catherine herself marries Edgar Linton, leaving Heathcliff heartbroken and vengeful.

Core Plot Relationships

Heathcliff's central romance is with Catherine Earnshaw, his wild adoptive sibling and soulmate from youth. They share an intense, almost supernatural bond on the Yorkshire moors, but she rejects marrying him, famously declaring it would "degrade" her socially despite her deeper passion for him. Instead:

  • Catherine Earnshaw marries Edgar Linton , gaining wealth and status at Thrushcross Grange, which fuels Heathcliff's rage.
  • Heathcliff later marries Isabella Linton (Edgar's sister) purely for spite, treating her cruelly and abandoning any real affection.

This web of unions drives the story's gothic tragedy across generations.

Later Marriages and Schemes

Heathcliff doesn't remarry after Isabella (with whom he has a sickly son, Linton Heathcliff). His ultimate goal isn't personal happiness but control:

  • He manipulates his son Linton to marry young Catherine Linton (Edgar and Catherine Earnshaw's daughter), securing ownership of both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange through inheritance.
  • This forced union traps Cathy, giving Heathcliff legal power over her estate after Linton's quick death.

"Heathcliff wanted Linton to marry Cathy to 'solidify' his claim to Thrushcross Grange."

These aren't love matches— they're tools in Heathcliff's obsessive revenge plot.

Why No Happy Ending for Heathcliff?

Social class barriers doom his bond with Catherine; he's seen as a lowly "gypsy" outsider. Recent analyses (as of 2026) emphasize Wuthering Heights as not romantic —Heathcliff's actions border on abusive, rejecting modern "soulmate" ideals. Forum discussions echo this:

Viewpoint| Key Insight| Source
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Literary Analysis| Heathcliff uses marriage for property grabs, not love 110| Reddit Literature
Revenge Motive| Wedding Isabella humiliates Edgar's family 37| Academic Article
Tragic Passion| Catherine picks status over Heathcliff, sparking his darkness 56| Fandom Wiki/Video
Modern Take| Their "love" is toxic, not aspirational 3| 2026 Conversation Piece

Heathcliff dies alone, haunted by Catherine's ghost, reuniting only in death—not a fairy tale. No adaptations or "latest news" (up to Feb 2026) change this canonical fact.

TL;DR: Heathcliff marries Isabella Linton for revenge; orchestrates his son's marriage to Cathy Linton for land. His true love, Catherine Earnshaw, weds Edgar Linton instead.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.