Frankenstein and Dracula: Character Parallels and Contrasts
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Bram Stoker's Dracula are stories of inhumane beings causing destruction and agony for the main characters until the time of their defeat. These two classic horror stories possess similar character types which contrast in key elements. Each story includes a protagonist, villain and secondary character. The manner in which these characters participate in and affect the outcome of the story, however, varies greatly.
The protagonists in these notable horrors both fight to defeat the destructive villains. In the story of Frankenstein, the title character Victor Frankenstein studied the sciences at a university in Ingolstadt, and became fascinated with the secret behind the creation of life. Genious, yet foolish at the same time, he unlocked the secret and brought a hideous monster to life - the one who would haunt him forever. This being was not yet a "monster" per say, but by Frankenstein neglecting his creation, the feelings of abandonment and loneliness developed to become the root causes for its destructive and vengeful nature.
Steel engraving (993 x 71mm) for frontispiece to t...
Promotional photo of Boris Karloff from The Bride ...
John Van Eyssen as Harker in the 1958 adaptation o...Frankenstein suffered the loss of his loved ones at the hand of that which he created. The monster vowed revenge upon Frankenstein who had granted it such a miserable life:
'Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge' (Shelley, p. 137).
Had Frankenstein fathered the creature rather than disown it, he may not have endured such hardships. Almost no remorse is felt for Frankenstein because he was the root cause of all of the destruction and deserved to face the consequences. The protagonist in Dracula, Jonathan Harker, is...