dracula-key-quotations

Dracula: Key Quotations

One of the ways to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the text is through the effective use of quotations and references to the text. This means that summarising, paraphrasing, referencing single words and referencing plot events are all as valid as using direct quotations.

Overall, you should aim to secure a strong knowledge of the text, rather than memorising a list of pre-prepared quotations, as this will better enable you to respond to the question. It is the quality of your knowledge of the text that will enable you to select references effectively.

If you are going to revise quotations, the best way is to group them by character or theme. Below you will find definitions and analysis of the best quotations, arranged by the following key themes:

• Good vs evil

• Gender roles

• Science vs superstition

• The fear of the unknown/the “other”

Good vs evil

Good vs evil is a significant theme in Dracula and forms the basis of the narrative and the characters’ motivations.

“Do you know that tonight, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway?” Chapter 1, Jonathan Harker’s diary entry dated 4th May

Meaning and context

• At the start of the novel, as Harker is making his way to Castle Dracula, the innkeeper’s wife tries to warn Jonathan and stop him from going to the castle on the eve of St George’s day

Analysis

• Here, the innkeeper’s wife is desperately trying to warn Jonathan:

  • This highlights how strong and evil the entity is that Harker is going to encounter 

  • It also suggests that on this particular day, at the stroke of midnight, evil things are much more powerful than they would normally be

  • This leads the reader to assume that Dracula has deliberately invited Harker on this particular day

“Lucy Westenra, but yet how changed. The sweetness was turned to adamantine, heartless cruelty, and the purity to voluptuous wantonness” Chapter 16, Dr Seward’s diary entry

Meaning and context

• Professor Van Helsing has gathered the men and taken them to Lucy’s tomb to witness her transformation into a vampire for themselves

• Lucy appears, carrying a small child in her arms whom she has bitten

• The quote is Dr Seward’s reaction to seeing Lucy

Analysis

• Dr Seward’s shock here is evident and he comments on how she has changed from a person of “sweetness” to someone who possesses “heartless cruelty”:

  • It highlights how Dracula has not only corrupted her soul but also her kindness and humanity

  • Her purity has been replaced with a lack of care and the use of the word “voluptuous” creates a vulgar image of Lucy that would not fit into the ideals of that time

  • In life she was seen as “pure”, but as one of the un-dead, she has been sexualised and is rejected by those who once loved her and longed for her

“How good and thoughtful he is; the world seems full of good men – even if there are monsters in it” Chapter 17, Mina Murray (later Harker)

Meaning and context

• Mina makes this statement about Dr Seward as she is writing his transcript

• Dr Seward takes it upon himself to take care of Mina at this moment so that she does not feel lonely

Analysis

• Mina’s comments on Dr Seward highlight the theme of good vs evil explicitly:

  • It reminds the reader that while there is evil in the world, there must always be good to keep the balance

  • Also, Mina does not refer to Dracula as a man but as a “monster”

  • This is powerful as it reinforces the idea of duty and honour that is stereotypically assigned to men

  • In order to be considered a man, you must possess a sense of duty, as Dr Seward does in this chapter

Gender roles

Gender and the role of men and women is a strong theme in Dracula. Characters are defined by their genders and their actions are influenced by their perceived roles. When a character is seen to deviate from these conventions, the narrator either finds a way of justifying their behaviour or, in the case of a woman like Lucy, labelling it as evil.

“I am alone in the castle with those awful women. Faugh! Mina is a woman, and there is nought in common. They are devils of the Pit!” Chapter 4, Jonathan Harker

Meaning and context

• Jonathan expresses his fear and anger over being left alone in Dracula’s castle with the female vampires

Analysis

• Jonathan refers to the vampires as “women” and then immediately compares them to Mina:

  • By comparing them to Mina, he is comparing them to the image of a chaste and virtuous female

• Jonathan was almost seduced by these dangerous female vampires and, as a result, does not wish to place them in the same category as his fiancée:

  • It is evident that the dominant and sexualised characteristics that the vampires possess make them unacceptable and evil 

  • The noun is then replaced with “devils”, as he feels that is more of a befitting label for them

“I suppose there is something in a woman’s nature that makes a man free to break down before her and express his feelings on the tender or emotional side without feeling it derogatory to his manhood” Chapter 17, Mina Harker

Meaning and context

• Lord Godalming breaks down and begins to cry after reading Mina’s account of Lucy’s final days

• Quincey P Morris is also present when this happens, but he leaves the room so that Mina is alone with Lord Godalming

Analysis

• Crying is a characteristic that is traditionally assigned as feminine as it is deemed a sensitive and weak trait

• Mina states that her female presence makes it acceptable for Lord Godalming to cry without it taking away his “manhood”

• It is worth noting that Morris left the room as it would not be appropriate to witness another man’s emotions and weakness:

  • He is therefore uncomfortable with Godalming’s behaviour

“A brave man’s blood is the best thing on this earth when a woman is in trouble. You’re a man, and no mistake” Chapter 12, Van Helsing

Meaning and context

• Van Helsing and Dr Seward arrive at the house to find Lucy’s mother dead and Lucy fighting for her life 

• Quincey P Morris also arrives and offers his services, which relieves Van Helsing as he is eager to conduct a blood transfusion

• This is Van Helsing’s response to Morris’ offer

Analysis

• It is clear that Van Helsing believes that it is a man’s duty to protect a woman who is in trouble

• Morris’ blood represents masculinity and strength, and it is offered willingly to provide sustenance to the female in need:

  • This is in contrast to Dracula’s blood as this is seen as a disease that infects because he is not masculine or good

• Van Helsing’s use of the word “brave” highlights how certain characteristics, such as bravery, are synonymous with honourable men and tie in with the idea of duty and service:

  • Men are the saviours and it is men who will triumph over evil and save the female in danger

Science vs superstition

Science and superstition feature heavily in Dracula as they reflect the confusion that Victorian England felt at the time. Science was advancing and more people were turning away from religion and searching for answers through scientific research. However, the rise of scientific research also saw a rise in people’s fascination with the occult and superstition. Dracula reflects these conflicting views through characters, most notably Dr Seward and Professor Van Helsing.