Heath·cliff /ˈhiːθklɪf/ one of the main characters in the book Wuthering Heights (1847) by Emily Brontë. He is an attractive, proud, and often angry man with very strong emotions. He loves Catherine Earnshaw and she loves him, but they are prevented from marrying. As a result, he decides to punish the other members of her family because he believes that they are responsible for his unhappy life.