Wuthering Heights features a complex family tree centred around the Earnshaws and Lintons, much of which ties back to Heathcliff. Warner Bros. made it clear that 2026's Wuthering Heights adaptation would be a little different by placing quotation marks around the title. Heathcliff actor Jacob Elordi explained that the latest update on Emily Brontë's 1847 romance novel is an "interpretation of a great piece of art" from Saltburn director Emerald Fennell, sparking controversy as fans anticipate significant changes from the classic tale.
Wuthering Heights is a tale about love, revenge, and social class, as an orphaned boy, Jacob Elordi's Heathcliff, tears down two wealthy families, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and masterminds his way into seizing two English estates. Brontë's tale is filled with complex relationships and family drama amongst the English upper class in the 18th and 19th centuries. As fans wait to see how Fennell adapts that story for the big screen, many will be eager to uncover how Heathcliff's family tree exists in the classic novel ahead of the 2026 adaptation.
Wuthering Heights' Complicated Family Tree in 2026 Movie
Heathcliff
While the parentage of Jacob Elordi's Heathcliff is unknown, the master of Wuthering Heights, Mr. Earnshaw, adopted him as a young orphan on the streets of Liverpool out of pity. He grows up to become the unloving husband of Isabella Linton and the father of their child, Linton Heathcliff, who sets out a vengeful master plan to inherit Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange.
Learn more about the Adolescence star behind the young Heathcliff, Owen Cooper.
Isabella Linton
The Lintons' daughter, Isabella, is the sister of Edgar Linton, who becomes infatuated with Heathcliff. The two marry and have a son, Linton Heathcliff, although, for Heathcliff, this was purely part of his plan to exact revenge against the upper class, creating an abusive, loveless marriage.
Linton Heathcliff
Part of Wuthering Heights' second generation, Linton Heathcliff was named by his mother, Isabella Linton, to combine her surname, Linton, with that of his father's, Heathcliff. The sickly boy was eventually forced by his father to marry Cathy Linton, at which point, by 19th-century property law, he became heir to Thrushcross Grange, allowing Heathcliff to inherit the estate after Linton's death.
Mr. Linton
Mr. Linton is the wealthy and socially refined master of Thrushcross Grange, who fathers Isabella and Edgar with his wife, Mrs. Linton.
Mrs. Linton
The matriarch of the Linton family is, of course, the mother to Isabella and Edgar, who also plays a major role in influencing a younger Catherine Earnshaw, whom she takes in while injured and instills social ambition into.
Edgar Linton
The heir to Thurshcross Grange is Edgar Linton, son of Mr. and Mrs. Linton, whom Catherine Earnshaw ends up marrying despite her love for Heathcliff. Edgar is Heathcliff's primary romantic rival in Wuthering Heights, although the two eventually become brothers-in-law through his sister, Isabella.
Catherine Earnshaw
Barbie actress Margot Robbie plays the Earnshaws' daughter, Catherine, the sister of Hindley. While Catherine falls deeply in love with Heathcliff, she refuses to truly be with him, knowing it would hinder her social status. Instead, she marries Edgar Linton and has a daughter, Cathy, who causes her death upon birth.
Cathy Linton
Cathy Linton is the offspring of Catherine Earnshaw and Edgar Linton, who would became a pawn in Heathcliff's grand plan when she married Linton Heathcliff. She got one of the only happy endings in the 1847 novel in marrying Hareton Earnshaw after her first husband's death.
Mr. Earnshaw
Martin Clunes' Mr. Earnshaw is considered a kind-hearted but stern man, acting as the patriarch of the family. While Mr. Earnshaw has two children, Catherine and Hindley, he shows more affection toward the adopted Heathcliff than toward the rest of his family, meaning that all protection was removed from the orphan after his death.
Mrs. Earnshaw
Mrs. Earnshaw is the wife of the master of Wuthering Heights and the mother of Catherine and Hindley. Unlike her husband, she disliked Heathcliff's presence, viewing him as an unwelcome stranger. That said, she dies early in Wuthering Heights' original story, shortly after Heathcliff's arrival.
Hindley Earnshaw
The Earnshaws' son, Hindley, is the brother of Catherine and heir to Wuthering Heights, who bullies Heathcliff out of jealousy for capturing his father's affection. He eventually marries Frances and has a son, Hareton Earnshaw. His gambling addiction and alcoholism prove to be the downfall of the Earnshaws, as they set in motion a chain of events that lead Heathcliff to acquire Wuthering Heights.
Frances
Frances comes to live at Wuthering Heights after marrying Hindley Earnshaw, and they eventually have a child, Hareton Earnshaw. Sadly, Hindley's silly and cheerful bride died not long after giving birth, driving her husband's alcoholism.
Hareton Earnshaw
The son of Hindley Earnshaw and Frances, Hareton Earnshaw, was raised by Heathcliff after both of his parents' deaths. But, in an act of revenge, Heathcliff deprived Hareton of an education. He went on to marry Cathy Linton after the deaths of Heathcliff and his father, reuniting the core families of Wuthering Heights.
