In Bram Stoker's Dracula a central conflict of the narrative comes from the tension between tradition and modernity. This is apparent not only in the use of technology in the novel, but also in the archetypal roles of its characters and the central conflict of religion versus science. The very reason why Dracula is effective in the horror genre is because the idea of the vampire itself can be applied to various different fears, especially of sexuality and the outsider. The otherness Dracula represents in Stoker's novel is metaphor for a variety of subversive tendencies and life styles or ideas which are threatening to “normal” life . As the world changes, so does the applicability of the Dracula story, and the way in which it is manipulated to relate to current culture. Stoker’s Dracula and the character of Dracula we have today are similar in that they both represent repressed sexuality, and fear of a-typical sexualities. However, what has changed is the way in which we view Dracula himself regardless of his hyper-sexualized nature. Stoker's Dracula represents a sexual aggressor or invader, where as the Dracula of Frances Ford Coppola 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula is portrayed as a sinister, yet romantically sympathetic character. How and why did Dracula’s character morph from an all bad sexual subvert into a romanticized character, and what is the significance of this shift in perspective? And why did the character of Dracula transform from its original inception into the attractive and desirable sexual figure which is portrayed in the more recent incarnations of the Dracula story?
The shift in the way Dracula is presented as an individual character has changed from Stokers novel drastically simply threw his involvement in the narrative of the story. In Stokers Dracula, the character of count Dracula does not appear directly in the majority of the story. However, his power is evident in the lives of the characters we do see in the novel, therefore giving him an extra-human persona which removes him from any humanness subsequent versions of Dracula posses. Stokers Dracula represents homosexuality in a vague sense, however his greatest imposition on men is threw his ability to be effeminate and still have the ability to invade their homes and their wives and fiances, and entirely emasculate them in the process. One example of this is when Mina Harker is visited by Dracula himself in her bedroom and is both drank from and forced against her will to suck his blood. The count has super-human powers, especially on woman, and completely removes any assumed safety that the presence of her husband implies, simultaneously “raping” Mina and rendering Jonathan useless. This is just one example of the characterization of the counts personal sexuality that we are introduced too in Stokers novel. Although the nature of the count himself if highly sexual, it is not erotic but rather violent. This emphasis which changes over time, with the character of Dracula eventually gaining a more seductive aspect rather than domineering.
Todd Browning's Dracula (1931) was the first incarnation of the Dracula we are familiar with today in terms of physicality and with the added element of seduction over aggressive take over. Dracula role in the film is more active than in the books and is important in the characters transformation from a sexual non-human aggressor to a sympathetic, dangerous yet enticing romantic figure. In this version of Dracula, Count Dracula wins over the female characters through his ability to take control of their actions mentally, rather than incapacitation through physical imposition of himself onto them. Although both versions of Dracula use mind control, there is a significant difference between he way in which he uses the mind control to get his victims. Where Stoker's Dracula used mind for total submission of his victims, the Dracula of Browning's film uses mind control for a sexualized seduction where the victim is temporarily willing to comply with his wishes.
Differently from the book, the women in Browning's film are characterized as less pure, innocent and weaker. This extra vulnerability and susceptibility to harm and temptation place Dracula in a different context than before because he is not simply a monster to be feared, but also a fascinating character which draws the attention of women. Dracula is not yet an entirely sympathetic romantic figure because his characterization is still centralized around “otherness”, however his characterization has changed to the point that it is understandable that he could have these effects on women. In this film sexuality seems to represent not only the fear of emasculation and difference of lifestyle, but the threat which is posed to women who are of weaker resolve.
The third carnation of Dracula which is seen in Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stokers Dracula (1992) gives us a highly-stylized and romanticized view of Dracula. In this movie the character of Dracula as a romantic figure is taken beyond the simple invasion of human women's bodies and minds, but gives Dracula a uniquely human ability to love. Turning the narrative into a love story between Mina and Count Dracula, the character of the Count is changed by that fact that from the beginning of the movie we associate him with the human emotion of love. Although he is still a monster, Coppola preemptively forgives his actions by creating a Romeo & Juliet like love story line which establishes the creation of Dracula as a vampire to profound heart break. This allows the movie to take on a tragically romantic tone, dealing with sexuality blatantly where it was once subtle in other versions of the story. Dracula as a romantic figure is takes his powers into the different realm of romantically overtaking women, but eventually gaining their affection of their own will. For Coppola’s Mina, Dracula is a desirable and sympathetic character who is easily seen as a happy alternative to Jonathan, who is emotional and literally impotent. This aspect of Mina and Dracula's relationship romanticizes the vampire itself, and connect the actions of the vampire with ideas of eternal non-dying love and serve as metaphor for the nature of love itself. It is physically manifested into the blood sucking Dracula, and continually in this movie we are confronted with love vs sex (mutual respect mutual love, would “ die” for someone, vs the using of someone else's body for non emotional physical satisfaction, pleasure). Unlike both the book or the Todd Browning film, it becomes clear that Mina and Dracula do share a mutual and real love, and although Dracula is never totally divorced from evil until the very end, the character of Dracula is highly relatable and almost desirable as a passionate, determined leading man.
The shift in the characterization of Dracula from the initial novel to the Coppola movie changes rather drastically. Our first introduction to him he is a monster which lacks any recognizable humanity and exploits both human emotion and sexuality to control and orchestrate the demise of humanity. However, he eventually becomes some sort of an under dog hero. Although still a murderer of humans, the more recent version of Dracula maintains very relatable qualities of humanity, like love. I believe this shift in his characterization happened because of the cultural context with which the novel was being represented, more specifically the shift in acceptability and attitude towards the otherness which his character represents. The spectrum of sexual taboos have shifted so much that where Dracula originally represented a variety of subversive tendencies in a negative light, he eventually became a romanticized and erotic character based on the fetishization of these these same mysteries and otherness.
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