Bram Stoker's Dracula - the story
Unless you've been hiding out in a cold war bunker or just arrived from another planet chances are you have heard of Count Dracula and know that he is a vampire from a fictional tale written by Bram Stoker. Chances are you know another character within this vampire legend.
Abraham van Helsing first apeared in this story also but not as most of you know him to be. Van helsing is another story for another time but he is the main 'good' guy fighting the evil of the
"Dark Lord".
First published in 1897, the tale of Dracula has gone on to spur many other great, and many bad, novels and films and entertained many throughout the century and decades since it release. It is told in diary format from different characters, notably Jonathan Harker, his fiancee,
Wilhelmina "Mina" Murray and the Doctor Abraham Van Helsing.
Harker is a solicitor sent on to Transylvania to have Count Dracula sign some leagl documents for property he is buying up around London. This becomes quite an encounter as he is chased to the castle by wolves and greeted by a very strange man (who happens to be the great count himself). You get a history of the Dracula's life and how he lost his great love whilst fighting the Turks. Just by chance Jonathan Harkers fiancee Mina Murray is the spitting image of Draculas one true love and he sees a picture in the solicitors hands.
The Count heads off for England but not before leaving Harker enslaved by his "three brides" who drain just enough blood to keep the young man weak and unable to escape. But escape he does and manages to get himself to a nunery where he seeks refuge and rest. Here he writes to his dear Mina to come and join him. Anyhow the arrival of Dracula in England is met with a storm that crashes the ship he arrives on leaving only one body on board. The captians log entries tell of very strange occurances on board the ship where crew dissapear and a large dog leaps of the sip before it crashes.
Dracula, now in England, starts ot seduce Mina, who does not take kindly to hima t first but eventually succumbs. We also meet Mina's friend, Lucy Westenra, who the Count makes his tasty morsal and "bride of the night". At this point everyone starts worrying for the young Lucy and
Professor Abraham Van Helsing is called in to assist. Van Helsing realises quickly that it is a vampire that has caused this effect on Lucy but keeps it to himself for now. Lucy dies soon afer a wolf attack that also caused her mother to die of shock. Van Helsing leads a group to her grave to decapitate her head and stake her body.
It is around this time that
Jonathan Harker arrives back home from his recouperation in Budapest, where he and Mina married. The group coalate together to kill the evil Count Dracula. The Count learns of this and in turn bites Mina at least 3 times and feeds her his blood to ensure he has a conection to her and the ability to control her. As such Mina slips to and from a hypnotic state at Dracula's request and it is through this that the group are able to find Dracula to kill him. However before they are able to do so Dracula escapes back to his Transylvanian castle closely followed by Van Helsing's group. They manage to find the Count just before sundown and they destroy him by shearing through the throat and stabbing him in the heart with a Bowie knife. At this the great Count Dracula crumbles to dust and his spell upon Mina is lifted. Quincey Morris is killed in the final battle, however the survivors return to England.
The book closes with a note about Mina's and Jonathan's married life and the birth of their first-born son, whom they name Quincey in remembrance of their American friend.
And that is the conclusion of this great
Vampire Legends, for now........
