Characters Discussed
Count Dracula
Count Dracula, a vampire. A corpse during the day, he comes to life at night. He has lived for centuries by sucking blood from living people. He pursues his victims in many harrowing episodes, and is pursued in turn from England to Romania. There his body, in transport home to his castle, is overtaken and a stake driven through the heart, making it permanently dead.
Jonathan Harker
Jonathan Harker, an English solicitor. He goes to Castle Dracula to transact business with the count, whose nocturnal habits and total absence of servants puzzle Harker. Harker finds himself a prisoner in the castle, comes one day upon Dracula’s corpse, and is occasionally victimized by the vampire. Then the coffin-like boxes are carried away, and Harker finds himself left alone, still a prisoner. Later, after he has escaped, he is able to throw light on certain strange happenings in England.
Mina Murray
Mina Murray, Harker’s fiancée. She joins in the pursuit of Dracula; in a trance, she is able to tell the others that Dracula is at sea, on his return voyage.
Lucy Westenra
Lucy Westenra, a lovely friend whom Mina visits at the time of Harker’s trip to Rumania. She is the repeated victim of Dracula, now in England, who appears sometimes in werewolf guise. Finally she dies and becomes a vampire also.
Dr. Van Helsing
Dr. Van Helsing, a specialist from Amsterdam called to aid the failing Lucy. His remedies are effective, but a fatal attack comes after he leaves; he then returns to England to still her corpse as well as to hunt Dracula.
Dr. Seward
Dr. Seward, Lucy’s former suitor, who attends her during her illness. Until he makes a midnight visit to her empty tomb, he does not believe Van Helsing’s advice that the dead girl’s soul can be saved only if a stake is driven through her heart.
Arthur Holmwood
Arthur Holmwood, a young nobleman and Lucy’s fiancée. As he kisses the dying Lucy, her teeth seem about to fasten on his throat. He goes with Seward and Van Helsing to the empty tomb and joins them in tracking down Dracula.