Analyse_the_Impact_of_the_Context_on_the_Positioning_of_the_Responder's_View_of_the_Characters_of_Dracula

Examine the impact of the context on the positioning of the responder’s view of the characters of Dracula. In your response make close reference to Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula and Francis Ford Coppola’s film version. The context alters the position of the responder’s view of the characters of ‘Dracula’ greatly, as the cultural and political settings impact the way the responder perceives the nature of each character. Bram Stoker’s novel and F.F. Coppola’s film version of ‘Dracula’ both demonstrate how this idea is displayed. ‘Dracula’ was set in England and Eastern Europe in the late 19th century, this was during the enormous expansion of the British Empire but also the beginning of the decline of British power. The rise of the United States and European powers such as Germany and Hungary threatened to eradicate Britain as the world's most powerful nation. The following response will examine how the subsequent ideas of promiscuity, technology and the supernatural adjust the responder’s view of the characters in ‘Dracula’. During the late 1800s, promiscuity was regarded as a lower form of living, yet in today’s society, boundaries have been broken and the limits have been overlooked. In the F.F. Coppola film, Lucy is portrayed as a flirtatious and sexual woman. The way that Lucy is depicted in the film demonstrates how the concept of promiscuity was viewed by the Victorian society and how they reacted to her actions. If the film in question were to be set in the present, the audience would not find Lucy’s attitudes and personality so extravagant and rebellious. Over time society has grown to accept the idea of sexuality and promiscuity, creating a more accepting and understanding society. Technology has had a major impact on the way in which today’s society resolves it’s problems. During the 19th century, technology was not only unavailable, but technology wasn’t believed to be true. The Victorian society disregarded scientific explanations concerning death and the afterlife, as seen in the film ‘Dracula’ (F.F. Coppola, 1992). The context of this film changes the way the audience views the characters especially Dr. John Seward and Professor Abraham Van Helsing, as they were the characters that discovered the idea of the ‘vampire’. In the present society, professors and doctors would be admired and respected, but in the Victorian era, they were occasionally considered irrational and foolish. The idea that technology over time has helped answer many unknown questions. The supernatural is a key element in both the novel and film versions of ‘Dracula’. In the late 19th century, there may events that could then not be explained rationally, thus forcing the society to result to religion to find answers. This is shown in the film and novel as the characters turn to religion to discover a method of killing the ‘vampires’ and other unnatural beings. The context changes the responders view of the characters as they are altered by the characters own views of the supernatural. In conclusion, the context impacts the position of the responder’s view of the characters in ‘Dracula’ in a major way. Through the three key elements of promiscuity, technology and the supernatural, it can be shown how the audience’s perspective of all the characters in ‘Dracula’ can be altered mainly because of the cultural and political settings.