Count Dracula
Quick Summary
Count Dracula is a fictional character, the titular vampire in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic novel, Dracula. The novel is a foundational work in vampire literature and film. The story unfolds through various documents, including journal entries and letters, detailing Jonathan Harker's unsettling visit to Count Dracula's castle in Transylvania. Harker discovers Dracula is a vampire who survives by drinking human blood.1
Dracula then travels to England, where he preys on others, including Lucy Westenra, who eventually dies and is revealed to be a vampire herself. The novel explores themes of immigration, suppressed desire, and the clash between modernity and primitive forces. While Stoker's Dracula is a fictional creation, some scholars suggest a possible inspiration from the historical figure Vlad the Impaler, known for his cruelty. The character has been famously portrayed in film, most notably by Bela Lugosi in the 1931 movie Dracula.123
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
vampireHistoryThe tale of the Transylvanian count who uses supernatural abilities, including mind control and shape-shifting, to prey upon innocent victims inspired countless works thereafter. Many popular vampire characteristicsāsuch as methods of survival and destruction, vampires as aristocracy, and even vampires being of eastern European origināwere solidified in this popularā¦
Read MoreThe tale of the Transylvanian count who uses supernatural abilities, including mind control and shape-shifting, to prey upon innocent victims inspired countless works thereafter. Many popular vampire characteristicsāsuch as methods of survival and destruction, vampires as aristocracy, and even vampires being of eastern European origināwere solidified in this popularā¦
Read More
DraculaSummaryHarker plans to meet with Count Dracula, a client of his firm, in order to finalize a property transaction. When he arrives in Transylvania, the locals react with terror after he discloses his destination: Castle Dracula. Though this unsettles him slightly, he continues onward. The ominous howling of wolves ringsā¦
Read MoreHarker plans to meet with Count Dracula, a client of his firm, in order to finalize a property transaction. When he arrives in Transylvania, the locals react with terror after he discloses his destination: Castle Dracula. Though this unsettles him slightly, he continues onward. The ominous howling of wolves ringsā¦
Read More
- ArgeČ
ā¦have been the prototype for Count Dracula in Bram Stokerās novel (1897). The fortress has a stairway of some 1,400 steps. An arboretum, a forestry experimental station, and a roe deer reserve are found in MihÄieČti; and ancient limestone quarries, designated a natural monument, are located near AlbeČti. The roadā¦
Read Moreā¦have been the prototype for Count Dracula in Bram Stokerās novel (1897). The fortress has a stairway of some 1,400 steps. An arboretum, a forestry experimental station, and a roe deer reserve are found in MihÄieČti; and ancient limestone quarries, designated a natural monument, are located near AlbeČti. The roadā¦
Read More 
Vlad the Impalerā¦as the possible inspiration for Count Dracula, the vampire at the center of Bram Stokerās novel Dracula (1897).
Read Moreā¦as the possible inspiration for Count Dracula, the vampire at the center of Bram Stokerās novel Dracula (1897).
Read More
- Bela Lugosi
ā¦of the elegantly mannered vampire Count Dracula.
Read Moreā¦of the elegantly mannered vampire Count Dracula.
Read More 
Christopher Leeā¦such iconic horror characters as Count Dracula, whom he first played in Horror of Dracula (1958) and later reprised in a number of sequels. However, Leeās turn as Sir Henry Baskerville in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), an adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes mystery, indicated a dramatic range extendingā¦
Read Moreā¦such iconic horror characters as Count Dracula, whom he first played in Horror of Dracula (1958) and later reprised in a number of sequels. However, Leeās turn as Sir Henry Baskerville in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), an adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes mystery, indicated a dramatic range extendingā¦
Read More
Horror of DraculaIn this version of the Dracula tale, based on the novel by Bram Stoker, Englishman Jonathan Harker (played by John Van Eyssen) poses as a librarian and takes employment with the elegant and seductive yet lethal Count Dracula (Christopher Lee), ostensibly to record his vast book collection but in realityā¦
Read MoreIn this version of the Dracula tale, based on the novel by Bram Stoker, Englishman Jonathan Harker (played by John Van Eyssen) poses as a librarian and takes employment with the elegant and seductive yet lethal Count Dracula (Christopher Lee), ostensibly to record his vast book collection but in realityā¦
Read More