DRACULA
author | exercises | vocabulary | theme, contextualitation and personal opinion | characters | summary

AUTHOR      arriba

Bram Stoker (1847- 1912) was born in Ireland and worked there as a civil servant for some years. Then he worked as the manager for the famous English actor Sir Henry Irving for twenty-seven years. Dracula, his story about vampires, is his most famous book.

EXERCISES      arriba

A. Checking your understanding
Chapter 1 Who said these words, and to whom?

1.´The Count is rich, and perhaps he will give you more work.`
Mina to Jonathan.

2.´Don´t go there.`
Someone in the hotel.

3.There is danger at Castle Dracula.`
The hotel keeper's wife to Jonathan.

4.´It´s a very big house, old and dark, with a high wall all round it.`
Jonathan to Count Dracula.

5.´I have plans to go there myself soon.`
Count Dracula to Jonathan.

Chapter 2 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)?

1. Three beautiful young women tried to kiss Jonathan. F
2. Jonathan found the keys to the castle in Dracula´s pocket. F
3. Jonathan killed Count Dracula with a hammer. F

Chapter 3 Who or what in the chapter...

1... invited Mina to Whitby?
Lucy

4...did Jonathan give Mina to read?
He gave her a letter

5...did Jonathan see in a London street?
He saw Count Dracula

6... was the news in Arthur Holmwood´s letter?
Arthur Holmwood told Mina that Lucy had died.

Chapter 4 Find answer to these questions in the text.

1. What did Van Helsing give Lucy to wear round her neck al night?
Van Helsing gave Lucy to wear some garlic flowers.

2. How did Van Helsing know that Lucy was dying?
He knew this because the wounds on Lucy´s neck have already gone.

3. When Van Helsing took Jack Seward to Lucy´s tomb for the first time, what did
they find?
They found nothing.

4. What did they find on the next visit, during the day?
They found Lucy´s body in her coffin.

5. Why did Arthur hammer a piece of wood through Lucy´s heart?
Because of this way Arthur killed Lucy´s vampire.

6. What did the four men agree to do next?
To try to find the vampire who killed Miss Lucy.

Chapters 5 and 6 Write answers to these questions.

1. What did the four men put in the coffins, and why?
They put in the coffins holy bread because of this way the Count would had no place to hide during the day, he would was weaker, and easier to fight and they could kill him.

2.What did the four men find when they broke into Mina´s room?
They found Mina in Count´s arms while he drank her blood.

3. How did Mina and the four men get to Varna before the Count?
They got to Varna before the Count by train, because the Count went by ship and trains are normally faster than ships.

4. Why did Mina ask Jonathan and the others to Kill her?
Because of this way she wouldn't suffer and she wouldn't be remind as poor Mina`.

5. Who killed Count Dracula, and how?
Jonathan killed him, he stuck a piece of wood in his heart.

B. Working with language

1. Use these words to join the sentences together.
and / if / before / but / while

1. The Count was standing next to me. I could not see him in the mirror.
2. I knew that I must do something. It was too late.
3. Morning came at last. I was still alive.
4. I was writing these words in my diary. I decided what to do.
5. I die. It will be better than the death that waits for me here.

´ The Count was standing next to me, but I could not see him in the mirror`.
´ I knew that I must do something before it was too late`.
´ Morning came at last, and I was still alive.
´While I was writing these words in my diary. I decided what to do`.
´ If I die, It will be better than the death that waits for me here`.

2. Complete these sentences with information from the story.

1. Jonathan did not want to talk to Mina about Dracula, but he gave her his diary to read.
2. When Jonathan fell ill in the mountains after his escape, some workmen found him and took him to the hospital.
3. Arthur had to leave Lucy and go back home because his father was dying.
4. Van Helsing wanted to stop the vampire Lucy before she will kill one of these poor little children.
5. During the day vampires are like dead bodies and they must have a place to hide.

C. Activities

1. Write a short description of Count Dracula and his castle.

Dracula is a tall and thin man, he has got white hair, pale complexion, ears like a cat, strong teeth like an animal, very long fingers, hairly, cold hands and red lips.
He usually dresses in black from head to foot and with a cloak around him.

His castle is on the top of a mountain with forests and wolves around it. It's a big, old and dark building with a lot of cold rooms.

2. You are Mina, staying with Lucy al Whitby. Write a letter to Arthur, telling him about Lucy and why you are afraid for her.

2 Weymouth Street
Whitby
Wednesday 13th

Dear Arthur:
I'm Mina and I'm writing to tell you about Lucy. I change some garlic flowers every day and I have been watching over Lucy at night for some weeks. But I have to tell you that something very strange has happened. One night I didn't go there because I was very tired and I stayed at home. Then someone went into Lucy´s house, put something in the servants´ drinks to sleep them and when they were fast asleep, someone went up to Lucy´s bedroom and killed Lucy´s mother. Lucy has got worse since this night and we should give her blood but it's pointless, she leaks it.
Arthur, she is very, very ill and you should come with her because we have to try to find the cause of Lucy´s illness and a solution so that she can't kill people.

Hope to see you soon.

MINA.

3. Van Helsing, Jack Seward, Arthur, and Jonathan break into the Count's London house and put holy bread into the coffins.
While they are doing this, imagine that a policeman finds them.
What does he say to the four men, and what do they say to him?
Write down their conversation.

ARTHUR: I have heard a noise.
JONATHAN: Me too. I think it's the main door.
VAN HELSING: Let's go, we have to put quickly the holy bread and afterwards we should hide.
POLICEMAN: Who are you? What are you doing here?
SEWARD: Eh... We are cleaning the room, we are Count's servants.
POLICEMAN: And this bread?, if you are cleaning, why is it in this room?
VAN HELSING: It's holy bread, and what are you doing into this house?
POLICEMAN: I was rung by a person who told me that there were some strange people in the house, what is the holy bread for?
JONATHAN: We don't know it.
POLICEMAN: Why are there so many coffins?
ARTHUR: Do you know who is Dracula?
POLICEMAN: No, I don't. Why?
ARTHUR: Dracula is the Count and he is a vampire.
POLICEMAN: Ohh, I have thought it's false.
JONATHAN: No, it's true. He bit in the Arthur's girlfriend's neck.
POLICEMAN: If we don't stop him he will bite more people and they will die.
VAN HELSING: Yes, of course. We have thought to put holy bread in the coffins, of this way the Count could not hide of the daylight, he would be weaker and we could kill him fast.
POLICEMAN: We have to start before it's too late.

4. Did you like this story? Write a letter to the author and say why, or why not.

24 Virgin Street
Tardienta
22240

Sunday 1st November

Dear Sir

I am writing to tell you how much I like the book you have written. It is a mysterious story which makes you dream with vampires, blood, knifes...
When I started reading this book I was not able to stop until I finished it and I have too much
enjoyed reading it because I love the countries where the story takes place so I imagine them with big green fields, castles and especially with much rain.

Yours faithfully PAULA.L.A.

VOCABULARY      arriba

SHARP afilado
COACH entrenador/autocar
CROWD multitud
HOWL aullido
NARROW estrecho
LOCK cerradura/ cerrar con llave
TOUCH tocar/ rozar
SHAKE sacudir/ agitar/ temblar (shake/ shook/ shaken)
CLOAK capa
SHIVER temblar/ estremecerse
ANGER enfadar/ ira
HELL infierno
CURTAIN cortina
STONY pedregoso
LIP labio
HAMMER martillo/ martillar
CART carro
DROP gota
TRULY sinceramente
WOUND herida
GARLIC ajo
DYING moribundo
WEAK débil
HIDE esconderse (hide/ hid/ hidden)
HOLY santo/ sagrado
LID tapadera

THEME, CONTEXTUALITATION AND PERSONAL OPINION      arriba

This book deals about the adventures of Jonathan Parker, an English salesman of houses and a famous Count, Dracula.
The relationship between the two main characters, which begins as a business, turns into a great adventure where mystery, love, fear and even death play an important role.

It's a very interesting book of mystery, love and adventures. In the tradition of mystery novels this play has all points to appeal the reader's attention until the end of the story and I have liked it very much.

CHARACTERS      arriba

The main character is a Count whose name's Dracula.
He usually dresses in black from head to foot and with a cloak around him.
The Count is tall and thin, he has got pale complexion, white hair, ears as a cat, strong, sharp teeth like an animal, red mouth, long fingers and hairly, cold hands.

There are other secondary characters as Jonathan, Mina, Lucy, Arthur, Professor Van Helsing, Jack Seward and the three vampire women.

Jonathan: He is a young salesman of houses who has to sell Count Dracula a big
house.
Mina: She is Jonathan's girlfriend.
Lucy: She is Mina's best friend.
Arthur: He is Lucy´s boyfriend.
Professor Van Helsing: He is Jack Sward's old teacher.
Jack Seward: He is a doctor.
Three vampire women: They are the vampires who wanted to kill Jonathan.

SUMMARY      arriba

This story deals about a young, English salesman of houses, Jonathan Parker, and a famous Count, Dracula.

Jonathan had to sell a big house to Dracula in London, but this business, which looked very easy, got complicated when Jonathan was invited by the Count to go to Transilvania to close the sale. Jonathan didn't like to go there because Dracula looked a weird person. However, Mina, his girlfriend, advised and cheered him up to travel because she thought this way the Count would give him more money.Jonathan left London and when he arrived in Transilvania, he had to wait before a coach came to take him to the Count's home. During this time he went into a hotel to get warm and he talked to several people who advised him not to go there and to be careful. He couldn't understand very well why they told him that but he began to believe that there was something strange when a woman gave him a gold cross to defend himself.

The cart arrived, Jonathan got into and began to travel up into the mountains to arrive to castle Dracula a little later. The Count happily opened the main door in the middle of this dark night. The first day, they talked about the house in London and they came to an understanding about the price. Then Jonathan thought that he had already done everything he had to do so he thought that he could go. But, amazingly the Count "ordered" him to stay there for a month. The Count was so strict that Jonathan couldn't refuse that "invitation", specially when they were going to do such an important business.Jonathan wrote to Mina in order to explain her that he would stay there for some time. He didn't tell anything about the Count because he guessed that Dracula could read it.
The Count forced him to sleep only in his room or in the living room, but one night he found a beautiful bedroom and he fell asleep there.

Suddenly, in the middle of the night Jonathan was attacked by a group of pretty women, but fortunately the Count arrived before they could cause him any harm. After this incident, the Count locked Jonathan in his room. Then he realised that something was happening and he began to fear. All he had seen and heard made him think that he would probably die. However, one day he could see the Count leaving the Castle, and Jonathan thought that it was the perfect chance to escape, so he jumped out of the window. Meanwhile, the Count, who had left Transilvania to go to England, arrived to a small village in the coast of this country, Whitby, just the town where Mina (Jonathan's girlfriend) was spending her holidays whit a friend, Lucy.

Since that night Lucy began to act in a strange way. She started to walk asleep and one night Mina found Lucy sleeping in a churchyard. When Mina touched Lucy´s neck she discovered two drops of blood. After this strange night Lucy got very ill. Mina took care of Lucy without knowing what could be happening but soon she received a letter from Jonathan. He wrote her from Budapest telling that he was in hospital and asking for help. So Mina left Lucy to go with Jonathan.
Once Mina and Jonathan had come back to London, they received a letter from Lucy´s boyfriend, Arthur, where he told them that Lucy had got worse. Immediately they went to Whitby and there they found how Arthur, the doctor and even the doctor's teacher Professor Van Helsing were fighting to save Lucy´s life. Mina and Jonathan decided to help them and they watched over her night and day.

However, one night somebody went into the house, killed Lucy´s mother and bit Lucy´s neck again. Next morning Lucy seemed weaker and some days later, she died.
They couldn't understand very well what was happening but when Jonathan told them his adventures in Castle Dracula, Van Helsing found the cause of Lucy´s illness. He explained that Dracula could be the responsible of it all and he thought that Lucy could have become a vampire.
Soon they discovered that it was true and Arthur had to hammer a piece of wood in Lucy´s heart to kill her. Then, they made a plan to kill Dracula too. But Dracula get aware of what was going on and full of anger he went to the doctor's house looking for Mina and he bit her in her neck.

Dracula ran away and he decided to go back to Transilvania. Jonathan knew that killing Dracula was the only way to save Mina's life, so they went for him. Finally they found Dracula and Jonathan stuck a piece of wood into his heart. That way he prevent Mina from getting into a vampire and could make this adventure come to the end.