Classic Gothic vs. New Gothic: Dracula / True Blood

People associate vampires with heartless killers and bloodsuckers that show no remorse. However, some vampires show extreme forms of compassion for their victims. Vampires such as Dracula in Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, take wonderful care of their victims and show some compassion for them, but like many vampires he cannot restrain himself from killing his companion. On the other hand, vampires like Bill in the HBO television series, True Blood (2009), find ways to prevent themselves from ever killing their companion. Blood is obviously the main temptation for vampires, but Bill never allows himself to kill his companion, Sookie, no matter how delicious her blood tastes to him. Dracula loves the taste of blood too much and does not have other sources for blood like Bill does with the synthetic blood called Tru Blood. Real blood is his only alternative and therefore cannot restrain himself no matter how much he cares for the individual whose blood he is draining. Both vampires had a past of planning out their strategy of draining their companions’ blood, but Bill changed his ways unlike Dracula.

Bill can feel Sookie’s heartbeat like any other vampire and her scent is very strong to him, however, he never lets his guard down to the point of killing her. Bill is very protective of her and wants to keep her as his companion – his feelings for her are completely genuine. Bill knows that he must never allow himself to be in a situation where he could potentially kill her. In the very first episode of True Blood, Bill questions Sookie as to why she would trust a vampire, reminding her of the more gruesome habits of typical vampires and asking her, “Aren’t you afraid to be out here alone with a hungry vampire?”(True Blood, Ep. 1). Bill knows exactly what he is capable of and what he has done in his past. Despite this, he has made a commitment to himself never again to feed from humans, especially from one for whom he has strong feelings. Bill also reminds Sookie that “vampires often turn on those who trust them…we don’t have human values like you,” trying to emphasize what vampires are capable of in order to judge her intentions. Bill truly has a longing to focus on the emotional connection with Sookie rather than worrying about feeding off a human.

Dracula also enjoys having an emotional connection with his companions, but he does not have the will or restraint to stop himself from killing them. Jonathan Harker is the first companion mentioned in Dracula (1992) that Dracula truly does care about, however, his intentions were always to kill him and drink his blood. Dracula is not able to demonstrate restraint to secure companionship; his desire for blood is too great. In the scene with the three witches, Jonathan was about to experience the bite of a vampire by one of the women, but Dracula stepped in and saved his life, showing his compassion for Jonathan. After the incident, Jonathan recalls, “Never did I imagine such wrath and fury, even to the demons of the pit” (Stoker, 39). Jonathan is completely taken aback by Dracula’s actions because he did not think Dracula would stop other vampires from feeding on him. Dracula is furious with the women and questions how they could ever touch Jonathan after he had forbidden such an act. Dracula really does have an emotional side to him and this connection with Jonathan and others, but he cannot put his need for blood behind him.

Bill demonstrates the same type of protective behavior as Dracula, but the difference is in that he genuinely has good intentions - Bill does not intend to kill his companions. In episode three, Bill demonstrates not only a protective behavior, but also depicts his developing love for Sookie, telling her that he would never take her life for his own needs. Bill’s friends from his past pester Sookie about how enticing she smells and especially how virgin blood is amazing. One vampire, Diane, tells Sookie, “It is my business cupcake…you want to know why because virgin blood is the best tasting blood there is” (True Blood, Ep. 3). Diane and the others attempt to bite Sookie, but Bill stops them immediately and announces that Sookie is his, exclaiming, “Sookie is mine!” (True Blood, Ep. 3). The possession he claims over Sookie will protect her as long as she accepts his protection, and demonstrates his true desire and good intentions. He was starving for blood when Sookie arrived, but he never let her smell diminish his restraint. Bill really wants to protect Sookie and build a future with her.

Interestingly enough, Dracula demonstrates the same protectiveness over Jonathan. The difference is the fact that Dracula is only exhibiting this behavior because he intends to keep Jonathan for him to kill. Dracula forbids the women to lay a fang on Jonathan saying, ‘This man belongs to me! Beware how you meddle with him, or you’ll have to deal with me’ (Stoker, 40). This reaction shows his care for Jonathan, which he also showed in the way he treated Jonathan with great hospitality. Despite Dracula’s generous hospitality, the underlying fact is that he does not intend on saving Jonathan to ensure he continues out a long lasting life; instead, Dracula works to preserve Jonathan’s life so that he can feast on Jonathan himself.

Dracula has no restraint when it comes to abolishing the intent to kill humans. He is too focused on his life and need for blood, even though he genuinely cares for some of the humans he kills. Bill has all the same needs Dracula does, but the importance to change and not hurt humans overrides his temptation. Bill demonstrates restraint and only shows protectiveness and care for his companion. Bill and Dracula were under different circumstances, however, as far as having other options for sustenance. While Bill could always replenish his need for blood with Tru Blood, although it was not as fulfilling, Dracula only had the option of killing humans. Bill’s restraint surpasses Dracula immensely, but their restraint may have changed if they were in each other’s circumstances.

Works Cited

Stoker, Bram. Dracula. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.

True Blood. Dir. Michael Lehmann. 2008. DVD. HBO, 2009.

Dracula: Johnny Depp