Dracula Chapter 3 Summary

Jonathan panics and succumbs to feelings of madness and helplessness. He rushes around trying to find a way to escape. He gets a glimpse of Dracula making a bed and laying the table for breakfast. This unnerves Jonathon because it confirms that he is alone; there are no servants. It also shows another side of Dracula-a more "human" side. He is well read, and an accomplished cook. Allusions are made to Vlad Tempest, and Dracula says he comes from a line of royalty- of strong blood. Many critics feel that Dracula is Vlad or was a descendent of the man. Many historical names are mentioned by Dracula including, Thor, Woden, Berserkers, etc. After asking several questions regarding legal matters, Dracula asks Jonathan to stay with him a month. He also gave him paper and envelopes to write to people back home, but warns Harker not to write about anything other than his business there. He also warned him not to sleep in any room other than his own chamber with the implication that he would meet certain harm if he did so. Jonathan, having trouble sleeping looks out the window to see Dracula emerging from one of the windows, face down, crawling as a lizard might. After seeing on another occassion, Harker begins to explore the castle in hopes of finding an escape. At this point, Jonathan feels that he is going mad, and, in fact, he is.

Jonathan comes across three female vampires. They are seductive, and he is certainly drawn to them. These women are beautiful. They represent the fear of female sexuality in Victorian England. Each woman infected by Dracula becomes more seductive as they turn evil. They have pale skin, bright red lips, and red glowing eyes. They start to "kiss" Jonathan. Before one of the women could penetrate his neck, the count swooped into the room and stopped them. He was furious. With a sweep of his arm he cast the women away and admonished them for trying to feed on Jonathan when they were forbidden to do so. When Dracula whispers, "Yes, I too can love; you yourselves can tell it from the past," the reader sees that perhaps there is more to Dracula's story than we know. The chapter ends with the Count throwing a sack with what seemed to be a baby inside to the women. Horrified, Jonathan loses consciousness.



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