Dracula Comparative Essay

Dracula is an 1897 gothic novel written by Bram Stoker that tells the story of an English solicitor named Jonathan Harker who takes a business excursion to the town of Transylvania where he stays at the castle of Count Dracula. The story is a mysterious and eerie tale with a multitude of quirky and peculiar characters that all add to the grotesque atmosphere. Nosferatu is a 1922 film directed by F.W. Murnau set in the fictional German city of Wisborg which follows estate assistant Thomas Hutter as he ventures to Transylvania to sell a house to Count Orlok. The extremely influential German expressionist silent film utilizes light and shadow to bring a bleak and desolate tone to the film and creates an atmosphere that is equally stunning as it

The major one that you notice instantly is the fact that the protagonist's name is changed from Jonathan Harker in the book, to Thomas Hutter in the film. Jonathan's girlfriend Mina is changed to Ellen, in the book Dracula’s servant is named Renfield, but in the film, Renfield is a house agent named Knock who the Count brainwashes and becomes his servant, and of course Count Dracula is changed to Count Orlok. Renfield’s character in the film is a major change from the book’s version of that character. In the book, Renfield serves as Dracula’s assistant throughout the book simply killing flies and bats for him. However, near the end of the book, he undergoes some character development and believes he is rehabilitated and should be released immediately. “There was an unusual understanding of himself, which was unlike anything I had ever met with in a lunatic… His request was that I would at once release him from the asylum and send him home.” Shortly after this the attendant came running and told Jonathan that Renfield had had an accident and was found on the floor covered in blood. “He had heard him yell; and when he went to him found him lying on his face on the floor, all covered in blood.” Yet while he is on the floor, approaching his death, he decides to warn Jonathan about Mina. “When Mrs. Harker came in to see me this afternoon she wasn’t the same; it was like tea after the teapot had been watered.” With his final breath, Renfield decided to help Mina and the team against Count Dracula who he had been serving the whole story. However, in the film, a house agent named Knock is brainwashed by the Count, he is placed in a mental asylum and spends most of the film there, praising the Count and serving as his minion. The noticeable character development for Renfield in the book makes the character in the film feel a little more one-dimensional and is not as striking