Dracula Summary and Gothic Conventions

Brief summary of plot:

‘Dracula’ begins with Jonathan Harker, a lawyer from London who goes to help Dracula, a Transylvanian Count, to find an estate in England, where he wants to immigrate. He soon realises that Dracula has supernatural powers and that he is in danger. As this is happening, the story of Jonathan’s fiancé and her friend, Lucy, is also happening. Lucy finds a ship that has been wrecked in Whitby (which belongs to Dracula) and then Mina finds her in a cemetery with bite marks on her neck. Van Helsing asks for garlic to be put in her room but it is removed and a wolf attacks and kills her- she is said to be a vampire by Helsing and he eventually kills her with a stake.  Mina has gone to Buda Pest to marry Jonathan and they return to England to help kill Dracula. Mina is turned into a vampire when a mental patient lets Dracula into an asylum where they are staying. The men sterilise the earth that was found on the boat and then they track Dracula overseas to Transylvania. He is killed by Jonathan and Quincey with knives and the three vampire women are also killed. 

Trope, evidence, and relevance to the text

Gothic Protagonist-

"the whole body crumbled into dust and passed from sight."

Jonathan Harker is a gothic protagonist as he ultimately completes his main purpose- defeating the antagonist (Dracula.)

Supernatural-

‘But my very feelings changed to repulsion and terror when I saw the whole man slowly emerge from the window, and begin to crawl down the castle wall over that dreadful abyss, face down, with his cloak spreading out around him like great wings.’

The Count is a vampire, which is a classic supernatural creature. He is presented as unnatural throughout to remind us that he is supernatural.

The Weather-

‘heavy black, driving clouds’

The weather always mirrors what is going on, such as unpleasant weather when Dracula is around.

 ‘The Other’-

Count Dracula is from Transylvania. At the time, the threat of the ‘other’ (the unknown that foreign people and places brought) was a huge fear of the audience.

Damsel in Distress- 

‘I supposed that we women are such cowards that we think a man will save us from fears, and we marry him.’

Lucy and Mina are very much presented as the damsels in distress, relying on the men to save them and acting as the victims in the story.