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Blood symbolism in dracula
The character of dracula
The character of dracula
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The Real Count Dracula
It all started with Count Dracula, a blood sucking, immortal monster. Dracula could turn into a bat by night, and if he was touched by even the smallest ray of light during the day, he would burn into a smoking pile of ash. Dracula had fangs that he used to break the skin on the necks of people he drank the blood from. Dracula could live as long as he wanted to, if he could survive that long. Dracula lived in Transylvania. Many people have heard different stories of Count Dracula, and not all are the same. The original story was created by an old writer names Bram Stoker. Bram Stoker wrote and sold many copies of his book, Dracula, in 1897. In this book, a young man named Jonathon Harker visits a strange man, known as Count Dracula, in Transylvania. Dracula follows Harker back to England and he tries to suck all the blood from the neck of Harker’s fiancée. Though this character might be original, the name is not. It is said that Bram Stoker based his character from a man named Vlad Dracula III. Bram Stoker’s book might have a compelling story, but it’s not the story of The Real Count Dracula. This is his story.
Vlad Dracula was born in 1431, in a three-story house in Sighisoara, Transylvania. His father was Vlad Dracul, a ruler of Wallachia who had an extreme case of bi-polarity. The moment Dracula was born, he was crowned Prince of Wallachia. Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad III, had three brothers. Radu was Vlad’s younger brother. Vlad and Radu had been imprisoned when they were younger, because their father Vlad II, had an enemy that was going to try and take the throne from him. Vlad II was obsessed with power and would do anything to keep it. Even give his two youngest sons as priso...
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...ed to Islam and trained as soldiers. Dracul didn’t really plan to honor any of these promises. But he made one last promise that he was forced to do. When he returned home, he would have to send his two sons as hostages for the Turks. In the middle of 1443, Dracul returned to Wallachia. Dracula and Radu left the castle in Targoviste. They traveled 700 miles into the center of the Ottoman Empire. They became prisoners in a dark fortress. Their father, again, became the Prince of Wallachia. In 1446, Vlad and Radu were sent free.
Works Cited
Goldberg, Enid A & Norman Itzkowitz. Vlad the Impaler: The Real Count Dracula. New York: An Imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2008. Print. “The Real Dracula: Vlad he Impaler.” The UnMuseum.Org. 2011. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. “Vlad IV.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (2013): 1. Middle search Plus. Web. 27 Jan. 2014.
Florescu, Radu, and McNally, R. T., Dracula: A Biography of Vlad the Impaler, 1431-1476 (1973)
Count Dracula is known throughout the world as the king of vampires, but very few know that he was a real person. The man who made a deal with the Devil for immortality was based on the heroic Walachia prince during the 15th century. His name was Vlad Dracula, which translates to “son of the Devil”, which is where the legend begins. Vlad was born the prince of Walachia in 1431 in Sighisoara, Romania but due to the Ottoman Empire invading Walachia, Vlad, and his brother were handed over to Emperor Sultan Murad II as a ransom. The two boys became captives of the Ottoman Empire in order to make sure that their father would support the Ottomans during their war with Hungary. Dracula was returned in 1448 after his father was assassinated, after
Religion was a big part of people’s lives back in Stoker’s time. A belief against religion was evil; therefore one who was not devout would be deemed bad or wicked. Dracula, was as evil as a creature gets and a nightmare for the pious; he was a symbol of an Anti-Christ and could even be called Satan. “I drew away, and his hand touched the string of beads which held the crucifix. It made an instant change in him, for the fury passed so quickly that I could hardly believe it was ever there.” (Stoker 24-25). Because Dracula was harmed by holy items, it could mean that he was pure evil, which would be true in Stoker’s time. As a result the main weapons the men had to fight against Dracula with was sacred matter; their struggle was like a fight was like a battle between the holy and satanic. The Count was invading Lond...
The late nineteenth century Irish novelist, Bram Stoker is most famous for creating Dracula, one of the most popular and well-known vampire stories ever written. Dracula is a gothic, “horror novel about a vampire named Count Dracula who is looking to move from his native country of Transylvania to England” (Shmoop Editorial Team). Unbeknownst of Dracula’s plans, Jonathan Harker, a young English lawyer, traveled to Castle Dracula to help the count with his plans and talk to him about all his options. At first Jonathan was surprised by the Count’s knowledge, politeness, and overall hospitality. However, the longer Jonathan remained in the castle the more uneasy and suspicious he became as he began to realize just how strange and different Dracula was. As the story unfolded, Jonathan realized he is not just a guest, but a prisoner as well. The horror in the novel not only focuses on the “vampiric nature” (Soyokaze), but also on the fear and threat of female sexual expression and aggression in such a conservative Victorian society.
Dracula, as it was written by Bram Stoker, presents to us possibly the most infamous monster in all of literature. Count Dracula, as a fictional character, has come to symbolize the periphery between the majority and being an outsider to that group. Dracula’s appeal throughout the years and genres no doubt stems from his sense of romanticism and monster. Reader’s no doubt are attracted to his “bad-boy” sensibilities, which provide an attraction into the novel. Looking first at his appearance, personality, and behaviour at the beginning of the novel, we can easily see Dracula’s blurred outsider status, as he occupies the boundaries of human and monster. Related to this is Dracula’s geographic sense of outsider. For all intents and purposes, Dracula is an immigrant to England, thus placing him further into the realm of outsider. To look at Bram Stoker’s Dracula as solely a monster in the most violent sense of his actions would to be look at a sole aspect of his character, and so we must look at how he interacts with the outside world to genuinely understand him.
In chapter 23, Professor Van Helsing mentions that Count Dracula was in life a “wonderful man,” a soldier, and a statesman, (Stoker, 1897/2001, pp.289). Although Stoker in his original book does not clarify how count Dracula became a vampire, there are references in the text that suggest it was the result of necromancy. In chapter 18, Van Helsing reveals that the Count was a student of alchemy, necromancy, and the occult (Stoker, 1897/2001). He further mentions that Dracula attended the “Scholomance,” a mystical school in the mountains, where the students are tutored by the devil himself (Stoker, 1897/2001; pp. 231). This point is taken further by Montague Summers (as quoted in Laycock, 2009, pp.19-20), through his words- “The vampire is believed to be one who has devoted himself during his life to the practice of Black Magic…”. These references in the book and interpretation in the Laycock’s work, lead to the conclusion that the Vampire-Dracula was the result of his deeds and practices during his lifetime. On the other hand, Cullen was the son of a pastor, who hunted monsters like “…witches, werewolves… vampires” (Meyers, 2005, pp. 331). When the pastor grew old, Cullen assumed the mantle of the monster slayer. Unfortunately, during a hunt, he was bitten by an old vampire he was chasing. After his transformation, Cullen, repulsed by what he had become,
While studying the diabolical figures in the devil, the idea of presenting Dracula came to mind. Dracula represents the devil in many similar ways. Dracula remains as a character in many diabolical movies and films. For instance, Van Helsing provides a good interpret of how Dracula remains noticed in the past and in present day. Although Dracula’s character obtains different views in every movie and film, he plays an important role in Stephen Sommers Van Helsing movie. In the movie, he acts as many different things. Demonstrating both the kind and evil inside, Dracula portrays his character as a mystery. Different views of Dracula throughout the movie include harsh, strong, powerful, evil, the devil, and unstoppable. The studies of Dracula
While the character of Renfield is ostensively extraneous to the central plot of Dracula, he fulfils an important role in Stoker’s exploration of the central themes of the novel. This paper will examine how Renfield character is intertwined with the three central themes of invasion, blood and otherness. Firstly, through Renfield’s inner struggle we learn that he is ‘not his own master’ (Stoker, 211). The theme of invasion is revealed by the controlling and occupying powers of Count Dracula. Secondly, the recurring theme ‘the Blood is the Life’ (Stoker, 121), is portrayed throughout the novel and has been interpreted through Stoker’s character Renfield. Then finally, a look at the social construction of the ‘other’ in Dracula and how, through Renfield, who is ‘unlike the normal lunatic’ (Stoker, 52), the Count emerges as the ‘other’ of all ‘others’.
... although his downfall comes because he has limitations, such as, “his power ceases, as does that of all evil things, at the coming of the day.”… “Then there are things which so afflict him that he has no power, as the garlic that we know of, and as for things sacred, my crucifix…” These reassure one that there is a means to destroy Dracula.
Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of Stoker's novel begins with the presentation of how Dracula became an immortal creature doomed to thirst for the blood of living animals. This story is essential to the interpretation of Dracula in Coppola's film. Dracula was a knight in the sacred army of the church, who left his wife in order fight against an invading Turkish army. He was successful in preventing the invasion of the Turks, yet they retaliated by sending his wife, Elizobeta, a letter that falsely reported his death in the battle. Upon hearing this tragic news, Elizobeta committed suicide by jumping into a river. When Dracula returns from the battle he discovers that his beloved wife is dead, and when the church tells him that her soul cannot be saved because she had taken her own life, he turns against the church and renounces God for betraying him. Dracula strikes the stone crucifix behind the altar in the church, which causes blood to gush from the stone. Dracula drinks the blood and vows to oppose God for eternity, whereby causing himself to become eternally damned as a vampire. The mos...
From Transylvania to Hollywood, vampires have transformed from unfamiliar, mysterious personalities to one of the most dominant monsters in the horror genre today. Vampires are one of the oldest and most noted creatures in mythology, with many variations of them around the world. Although the most famous version is Bram Stoker’s Dracula, many variants have come before and after telling of the same legend with their own added ideas and modifications to relate to their cultures. Today, there is a multitude of literary and film works that convey and resurface peoples’ fear of vampires. As gothic works like Dracula, by Bram Stoker and Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire directed by Scott Jeralds share certain traits reflective of the genre; These factors include setting, actions of each vampire, the initial reactions to news of them, and how their presence affects the people who live within the region the vampires inhabit.
In the book, Dracula by Bram Stoker there are many characters that display qualities of good verse evil. The Count Dracula is a mysterious character who appears as an odd gentleman but the longer the story goes on Dracula shows his true self. Dracula started infiltrating the lives of anyone who crossed his path and he was not stopping his destruction of others’ lives. Many people were affect by Dracula’s actions but there were two people that Dracula caused an impact on during his rampage. Dracula is an evil, cunning, and selfish character who harms the life of a young man and ruins the future of an innocent woman.
The Count is the benchmark of the vampire archetype as the monstrous Other that “announces itself as the place of corruption” (Anolik and Howard 1). Dracula is associated with disruption and transgression of accepted limits—a monstrosity of great evil that serves to guarantee the existence of good (Punter and Byron 231). The “Otherness” Dracula possess reinforces our own norms and beliefs through his transgression that separates him from society and the polarity to Western norms and ideals makes him an effective device for extorting revulsion and horror. Stoker’s novel employs Gothic tradition, providing “the principle embodiments and evocations of cultural anxieties” from which the very Gothic mood and horror is produced, establishing the baseline used to distinguish the modern vampires, as part of vampire mythology within the Gothic (Botting Aftergothic
In Bram Stoker's "Dracula", Dracula is portrayed as a monster made evident by his gruesome actions. An analysis of Dracula shows that: shows his evil nature in his planning, brutally killing Lucy Westrenstra causing a violent response from Dr. Seward and others, and how his evil ways lead to his downfall. To characterize Dracula in one way, he is a ruthless, cunning monster who uses tricks, torture, and wits to manipulate people to his will. However when he trifled with some courageous people, he had no knowledge that it would be his undoing.
From the whispers of townsfolk spreading legends and tales of what goes bump in the night to the successful novels, plays and film adaptations, the story of the vampire has remained timeless and admired. One of the main writers responsible for this fame and glory is Bram Stoker with his rendition Dracula, written in 1897. Dracula follows the accounts of Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray, Dr. John Seward, Lucy Westenra, and Dr. Van Helsing, through their journal entries and letters, newspaper articles, and memos. Bram’s vision for Dracula is both terrifying and captivating as the reader follows a small group of men and women led by Dr. Van Helsing through their attempt to retaliate against Count Dracula’s efforts to spread his undead chaos and blood lust across England.