Studying Wuthering Heights: The Complete Text and Revision Guide characters

Appears from the start

The new tenant of Thrushcross Grange and the frame narrator. Seeking solitude in Yorkshire, he becomes curious about his forbidding landlord and the strange household at nearby Wuthering Heights.

Appears from the start

Lockwood's landlord and the stern, solitary master of Wuthering Heights. His guarded manner and the tense household around him suggest a history that Lockwood cannot initially interpret.

Appears from the start

An elderly servant at Wuthering Heights whose severe religious language, broad dialect, and loyalty to the old household make him difficult for Lockwood to understand.

First appears in chapter 2

A rough, poorly educated young man living at Wuthering Heights. Lockwood is uncertain of his position in the household, while Hareton responds angrily to being mistaken for a servant.

Also known as Catherine Heathcliff

First appears in chapter 2

A beautiful, sharp-tongued young widow living unwillingly at Wuthering Heights. Her education and manner distinguish her from Hareton, whom she treats with open contempt when Lockwood first meets them.

First appears in chapter 2

The housekeeper at Wuthering Heights during Lockwood's visits. More approachable than the rest of the household, she helps him after his disturbed night in Catherine's old room.

Also known as Ellen Dean

First appears in chapter 4

The housekeeper at Thrushcross Grange and the principal narrator of the families' history. Having served both the Earnshaws and the Lintons, she has witnessed much of the conflict that puzzles Lockwood.

Also known as Catherine Linton

First appears in chapter 4

Mr Earnshaw's spirited daughter and Heathcliff's inseparable childhood companion. Strong-willed and imaginative, she shares his freedom on the moors while also growing conscious of the social rank that separates their futures.

First appears in chapter 4

Catherine's older brother, who resents the orphan Heathcliff after his father brings the boy home. His jealousy deepens as Mr Earnshaw openly favors the newcomer.

First appears in chapter 4

The owner of Wuthering Heights and father of Hindley and Catherine. Returning from Liverpool with the homeless Heathcliff, he raises the boy in his household and protects him from Hindley's hostility.

First appears in chapter 6

The cultivated son of the Linton family at Thrushcross Grange. As a boy he belongs to a gentler and wealthier household than the one in which Catherine and Heathcliff grow up.

First appears in chapter 6

Edgar's younger sister, raised with him at Thrushcross Grange. Sheltered and conventional beside Catherine, she later becomes fascinated by the adult Heathcliff without understanding his motives.

First appears in chapter 6

Hindley's wife, brought to Wuthering Heights when he returns to take control after his father's death. Lively but physically frail, she is uneasy around Heathcliff.

First appears in chapter 19

The sickly son of Heathcliff and Isabella, raised away from his father. Timid, demanding, and accustomed to being indulged, he becomes important to Heathcliff's plans after Isabella's death.