Dracula in Our Culture

Dracula in our culture

According to the 1992 movie Dracula by Francis Ford Coppala based on the book by Bram Stoker, vampires are seen as immoral pleasure seekers and lustful creatures who will stop at nothing to get what they want. The 1897 Bram Stoker novel is based on a fifteenth century prince by the name of Vlad Dracula who was also known as “the Impaler.” In order to understand the cultural impact of these three different approaches to vampire we must take a deeper look into them. First we wil look at the history of Vlad Dracula. Secondly we will look at the novel based on Vlad Dracula’s life and thirdly we will look at Francis Ford Coppala’s interpretation of the novel based on his movie. Finally we will look at how this highly influential movie, novel, and account of history gives a particular subcluture the impression of vampires that they have today. The subculture for this research was the female college student. This subculture gives us a womans perspective on vampires in our culture as opposed to a mans perspective which can be drastically different. This subculture is also representative of a younger generation that may know more of a modern Dracula that is seen today.

Vlad III Dracula was born in 1431 in Sighisoura a city inTranslvania, As a child he was taught all the proper skills of battle and was raise to be a noble Christian knight. At this time the Ottoman Turk empire was slowly taking over and soon approaching Transylvania. Because of Dracula’s fathers fight to remain neutral he and his family were forced to flee by the Hungarians who were not in favor with neutrality but returned to have his father reclaim the throne and later be assassinated. His son Dracula claimed the throne from 1456 to 1462. The Turks forced Dracula to flee to Transylvania in 1462 right after his first wife commited suicide by jumping from his tower into the Arges river which can be seen in the movie. Just like his father he returns and claims his throne but with few on his side, he is soon killed in battle against the maliscious Turks. He received his name “The Impaler” because impalement was Dracula’s preferred method of execution and torture. He once had 30,000 merchants from Transylvania impaled.He was known to feast on the bodies and drink the blood. This 15th century tyrants life was the basis for Bram Stoker’s fictional vampire caracter.

The vampire as we know it today was rooted in Transylvania and an obsession with this creature swept through eastern Europe in the early 18th century.Stokers novel was most likely a response to the reports coming from this area. Outside of Bram Stoker’s Dracula there were no connections between Dracula and vampires. Dracula was most likely chosen because he was from the same place that gave birth to the vampire myth and was known for his acts of brutality and blood drinking. The novel begins with jonathan harker traveling to count draculas castle to oversee a reale estate transaction. He soon realizes that he has been taken prisoner by the count an witnesses his strange nocturnal behavior. He even sees three other female vampires which are known as the brides of Dracula barely escaping their thirst for blood. Dracula begins to pay visits to harkers fiancÐ"©e Mina and her friend Lucy. Lucy soon begins to get violently ill because she has been bitten by Dracula. Not long after she and her mother are attacked by a wolf . The mother dies from a heart attack and Lucy dies from her worsening condition. Lucy rises from the dead and has turned into a vampire. She begins to terrorize in the night and in order to prevent further acts of violence is stabbed in the heart with a stake and beheaded. Dracula after hearing this bites Mina three times and has her under a trance that lets him control her and connects her to Dracula on an emotional level. They finally track down Dracula and stab him in the heart with a bowie knife. Dracula crumbles to dust and his curse is lifted, This takes us to look at the similarities and differnences between the 1992 movie Dracula and the novel by Bram Stoker. In this movie it starts out with historical information on vlad Dracula and ties this into the story. Dracula returns from battle to find his lover has comitte suicide. This causes him to renounce his faith in God and vow vengeance against the Lord. When he returns from the dead centuries later he calls on a London real estate agent to close a property deal. This is where Jonathon Harker comes