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The figure of the Vampire in Dracula - Coggle Diagram
The figure of the Vampire in Dracula
✨A supernatural being
A character living between two worlds
Humans and Animals
Metamorphosis : bat / mist /
/ Lycanthropy :wolf:
Dracula is a wild animal, and a predator. :bear:
:left_speech_bubble:
Quote :
“Your man-eater, as they of India call the tiger who has once tasted blood of the human, care no more for other prey, but prowl unceasing till he get him”
Animal comparisons:
“panther-like,” “lion-like”
→ strength, agility.
“He leaped into the room”
→ quick and feline movement.
His attacks resemble a
hunt
, where Dracula is the predator, and his victims are the prey.
The
fast-paced sentences
and punctuation reinforce the impression of imminent danger.
:left_speech_bubble:
Quote by Van Helsing :
"Besides, he can summon his
wolf and I know not what."
Dracula has a power over nature 🐾
His castle his a den :european_castle:
:left_speech_bubble:
Dracula is lurking in his house :
"I love the shade and the shadow"
:left_speech_bubble:
Quote by Jonathan :
“My only doubt was as to whether any dream could be more terrible than the unnatural, horrible net of gloom and mystery closing round me”
Jonathan is trapped. ⚠️
Dead and Alive
“Un-Dead”: he is neither alive nor dead. ☠️
A demonic and evil being
“A monster of the netherworld”
→ comparison with an infernal creature.
His refusal to be named by Van Helsing
shows his unspeakable and terrifying nature.
He reverses the Holy Communion
with his blood ritual.
Semantic field of the body “flesh”; “blood”; “kin”
=
Reminiscent the Bible
⇒ Dracula is competing with God, as a devil.
👑 A Symbol of Power and Domination
🥇A manipulative and strategic leader
“He played with us,” “He have fooled us”
→ comparison to a chess game where he is the master.
“He have always the strength in his hand of twenty men”
→ emphasizes his physical and intellectual power.
Mental domination:
he controls Mina by creating a psychic bond with her.
Imagery of the conductor
=>
He Commands animals and natural elements (wolves, storms).
He is
a figure of authority
He speaks perfect English,
which allows him to blend in and manipulate people.
:crossed_swords: A conqueror and invader
“We Szekelys… as a tale that is told”
→ presents himself as an immortal warrior.
“There is hardly a foot of soil in all this region that has not been enriched by the blood of men”
→ glorification of blood and conquest.
His journey to England can be seen as a metaphor for foreign invasion, reflecting
Victorian fears of immigration and the decline of the British Empire.
💰 A Wealthy Aristocrat
Owns
multiple properties
in England (Carfax Abbey, Piccadilly, etc.), allowing him to establish a strong presence in the heart of London.
His riches give him mobility and influence, making him a more dangerous antagonist.
👽A Figure of the Other and the Foreigner
The myth of the Gothic monster
His Eastern European origin (Transylvania) makes him
an exotic and unsettling figure.
Contrast between rational, modern England and mysterious, wild Transylvania.
He embodies the
fear of the unknown
and
the uncivilized world.
A threat to Victorian society
Dracula represents a subversion of Victorian norms
He seduces and corrupts women (Lucy, Mina).
He challenges social structures by
reversing power roles.
He blurs the line between human and supernatural, challenging ideas of normality and monstrosity.
The fear of contamination:
He “infects” his victims through blood, turning Lucy into a vampire.
A metaphor for colonial anxieties and racial degeneration.
👻An Ambiguous and Fascinating Figure
A character who both attracts and frightens
Harker is fascinated by his castle despite his fear.
“Deep blue and purple in the shadows”
→ use of colors evokes a strange and haunting beauty.
The Count represents forbidden desire, attraction to the unknown and the taboo.
A Romantic and Tragic Figure?
His immortality condemns him to a
lonely and repetitive existence.
Like other vampires in Gothic literature,
he embodies the human longing for eternity and the fear of death.
💥The Destruction of Dracula
Dracula dies with a
Kukri knife
(a British Empire weapon) →
symbol of colonial domination over the foreign invader.
Mina keeps a trace of him in her son →
evil never truly disappears.
The ending of Dracula symbolizes
the triumph of rationality over the supernatural, but also the persistence of the fear of the Other.