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Wohlschlegel 1

Brienna Wohlschlegel

AP Lit

DePace

6 December 2021

Triangular Types of Love in Wuthering Heights

Can all relationships be categorized into specific types of love? There have been multiple

theories created regarding this. According to Sternberg, these theories should be able to connect

with every relationship: real, fictional, past, or present. In the novel Wuthering Heights, Emily

Bronte uses the three components of love, the triangular theory of love, and the seven types of

love to create different relationship dynamics to emphasize the personalities of her characters.

The relationships in Wuthering Heights can be characterized by the procession and

quality of each of the three components of love. “Psychologist Robert Sternberg’s theory

describes types of love based on three different scales: intimacy, passion, and commitment”

(Hofstra). Not every relationship has all three of these components at all times. Additionally,

they present themselves in different ways depending on the relationship. In the Lintons’

relationship, Edgar “spent his days and nights there, a sleepless guardian” (Bronte 129)

following Catherine’s death. This act of protection even after a death in the relationship, show

the intimacy they shared while they were both alive. Intimacy by Sternberg’s definition is: “the

feelings of closeness, connectedness, and bondedness one experiences in loving relationships”

(Sternberg)”. Edgar shared a very close bond with Catherine throughout their entire relationship,

even throughout Catherine’s waning mental states. Despite Edgar’s continuous commitment to

Catherine up until her death, Catherine still had issues committing to Edgar. At one point in the
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novel Edgar tells Catherine “’ Will you give up Heathcliff hereafter, or will you give up me? It is

impossible for you to be my friend and his at the same time; and I absolutely require to know

which you choose.’” (Bronte 129). Catherine ends up picking Edgar and after that, there were no

more issues with commitment especially since they had already been married. According to

Sternberg, “Decision/commitment, which encompasses, in the short term, the decision that one

loves another, and in the long term, the commitment to maintain that love” (Sternberg). By

getting married, especially in the period in which the book was written, they committed to stay

together until death makes them part. Heathcliff and Isabella also possess commitment due to

their wedding. Isabella tells Nelly “…he says he has married me on purpose to obtain power over

him; and he shan't obtain it-I'll die first" (Bronte 172). Isabella shows how she is stuck in this

committed relationship, by revealing her only way out is dying. But additionally, she shows the

passion she has for this relationship. While typically passion is “the drive(s) that lead to

romance, physical attraction, and sexual consummation” (Sternberg) it also can just be strong

feelings towards the other party. Isabella certainly shared very strong feelings, while not always

positive ones, towards Heathcliff. Their relationship had other examples of passion as well,

including when Heathcliff yells at Catherine “I have the right to kiss her, if she chooses, and you

have no right to object.” (Bronte 122). He loves Catherine and to yell at her to allow him to be in

a relationship with Isabella shows the passion he has involved with the relationship. The two

relationships highlighted show the different ways couples can possess and use the different

components of love in their relationships.

The stability of the relationships between the characters directly correlates to how

balanced the geometry of their relationships is according to the Triangular Theory. The triangular

theory of love states that each relationship creates a triangle. “The geometry of the love triangle
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depends upon two factors: the amount of love and balance of love” (Sternberg) this is based on

the interactions between the three components of love. The goal is to have a balanced and large

triangle. This means you equally possess all three aspects of love in a large quantity. “It is

important to recognize that a relationship based on a single element is less likely to survive than

one based on two or more.” (Hofstra), this is because the triangle and thus the relationship would

not be as strong as one with several. For the most part, Heathcliff and Isabella’s relationship is

based purely on their commitment to their marriage. This creates an unsettled dynamic between

the two. Shortly after the wedding, Isabella asks Nelly “Is Mr. Heathcliff a man? If so, is he

mad? And if not, is he a devil?” (Bronte 149). Isabella is not fond of Heathcliff. She thinks he’s

either crazy or the devil. This hatred of her husband and, aside from their negative bursts of

passion toward each other, the only basis of their relationship being commitment makes for

problems later on. In the end, “She was driven away, never to revisit this neighborhood…”

(200). As suspected by Sternberg, the relationship did not survive due to the unbalanced nature

of the triangle’s geometry. Catherine and Edgar’s relationship was more balanced and had more

than one component of love. Therefore, it lasted Catherine’s lifetime. They at times had all three

aspects involved in a relationship and it showed in their actions towards each other. When they

first got married and Catherine moved into Thrushcross Grange, Nelly says “She seemed almost

overfond of Mr. Linton; and even to his sister, she showed plenty of affection” (Bronte 99).

When in a stable relationship, Catherine was able to mellow out. At the end of Catherine’s life

while she was dying “Edgar, in his anxiety for her, forgot her hated friend” (Bronte 179). He was

able to put his differences aside with Heathcliff and purely focus on his wife. This behavior

would not have been possible in a less stable relationship. As stated by Fuerman “Finding a

balance…is essential” (Feuerman). Without balance, the relationship is less stable, and less
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likely to last as shown by the Lintons’ and Heathcliffs’. The stability of the relationship is related

to the balance of the triangles created in the triangular theory of love.

The relationships in the book can be classified into one of the seven types of love.

According to the theory, every relationship can be sorted into one of these seven types. During

the duration of the relationship, the type can change as well. Isabella and Heathcliff’s

relationship would be categorized as fatuous love and empty love. Fuerman describes fatuous

love as when “commitment and passion are present while intimacy or liking is absent… in which

passion motivates a commitment without the stabilizing influence of intimacy” (Feuerman). In

relation to the Heathcliffs’ Isabella had a lot of passion for Heathcliff when he first arrived back.

This lead to their lives as newlyweds when the passion turned to hatred, and they were left with

the only commitment being by marriage. Isabella says of Heathcliff “Don’t put faith in a single

word he speaks. He’s a lying fiend! a monster, and not a human being!” (166). The lack of

stability caused by the missing presence of intimacy in their relationship led to Isabella thinking

these things of her partner. With this missing component " infatuated love may disappear

suddenly” (Hofstra). When it does “a stronger love deteriorates into empty love, in which the

commitment remains, but the intimacy and passion have died.” (Hofstra) as shown by Isabella

and Heathcliff’s relationship when her liking of Heathcliff faded and they were left in a

miserable marriage. On the contrary, Edgar and Catherine bounce between consummate love and

companionate love. At times during the relationship, they had all three characteristics in having

consummate love. This was mostly in the beginning stages of their relationship. Once Heathcliff

returned things got a little rocky for them. Their love began to fade more into companionship. It

stayed at companionship due mostly to how much Edgar cared for Catherine. Catherine became

very ill mentally and was unable to feel the same, but Edgar loved her regardless. When her
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mental wasn’t as poor as it was at the end of her life, “Catherine had seasons of gloom and

silence, now and then: they were respected with sympathizing silence by her husband...” (100).

He stood by her no matter what she was going through even to the end of her life. When they lost

the passion in their relationship due to Heathcliff’s return, they were left with a relationship that

“includes the intimacy or liking component and the commitment component of the triangle. It is

stronger than friendship, because there is a long-term commitment” (Feuerman). These types of

love are created by the possession of the different components of love. As the relationships

change and add or lose different components the type changes as well. But as long as there is a

relationship, as there is with the characters of Wuthering Heights, it can be sorted into one of

these seven types.

These theories work to classify relationships between both real people and fictional

people. In Wuthering Heights, it helps differentiate the dynamic between Catherine and Edgar

and Heathcliff and Isabella and develop their characters. The way the characters interact with

each other dictates the components of love they possess, the balance of their relationship triangle,

and the type of love they share creates depth for each character individually and with their

partner.
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Works Cited

Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. Tom Doherty Associates LLC, 1989

Marni Feuerman, LCSW. “Triangular Theory and the 7 Types of Love.” Verywell Mind,

Verywell Mind, 16 Aug. 2021, https://www.verywellmind.com/types-of-love-we-

experience-2303200

Sternberg, Robert. “A Triangular Theory of Love.” Psychological Review, vol. 93, no. 3, 1986,

pp. 119–135.

http://pzacad.pitzer.edu/~dmoore/psych199/1986_sternberg_trianglelove.pdf

“Triangular Theory of Love - Hofstra University.” Hofstra.edu, Hofstra University,

https://www.hofstra.edu/pdf/community/slzctr/stdcsl/stdcsl_triangular.pdf