Dracula (Oxford Playscripts)

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I taught the play last year. The play script follows Bram Stokers story, fairly closely, and our year 8s enjoyed it. This year I'll incorporate some of these resources too.

This allows you to record one of your live performances for your internal archives only. This cannot be streamed.Bram Stoker’s ‘ Dracula‘ was written during the Victorian period, at a time when Charles Darwin’s theory of revolution, as well as recent technological advancements, were leading to less religiosity among people. This sentiment is exemplified in the attitudes of Mina and Dr. Seward who could not solve the mystery of Lucy’s ailments because of a dependence on cold rationalism at the expense of superstitions and spirituality. When Lucy was ill, the suitor she rejected, Dr. Seward, was the one who cared for her, while another suitor, Quincy, contributed his blood to be transfused into her when she was in dire need of it. Van Helsing also provided his own blood despite having no prior emotional connection to her. This selflessness and generally noble predispositions are what make the brotherhood so strong and then ultimately successful against Dracula in the face of huge odds. Dracula, practically as old as religion itself, stands as a satanic figure, most obviously in his appearance—pointed ears, fangs, and flaming eyes—but also in his consumption of blood. Dracula’s bloodthirstiness is a perversion of Christian ritual, as it extends his physical life but cuts him off from any form of spiritual existence. Those who fall under the count’s spell, including Lucy Westenra and the three “weird sisters,” find themselves cursed with physical life that is eternal but soulless. Stoker takes pains to emphasize the consequences of these women’s destruction. This version is designed for easy and economical staging, yet it retains the chilling atmosphere and the familiar characters that have made Dracula a favorite with producers, actors and audiences everywhere. When Dr. Van Helsing, a specialist in obscure maladies, discovers that beautiful Lucy Westenra is the victim of a vampire, suspicion falls on a mysterious neighbor, Count Dracula, and his frighteningly beautiful wives, who receive special emphasis. The large cast contains many fine acting parts, from the haunting vampire wives to the ever-popular Renfield, who fancies a diet of flies and spiders. There are young lovers, comic staff members, sanatorium guests and Jonathan Harker, first to fall victim to the vampire's thirst. The story of his journey to Dracula's fortress will have your audiences on the edge of their seats. Intermingled with the drama is a fine thread of comedy that helps relieve mounting tension and chills. Tim Kelly has developed a classic masterwork that always terrifies—and delights—cast and audience. Notes Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available Riverkeepby Martin Stewart. Wull’s father has been possessed by an evil spirit. It’s up to Wull to hunt down a potential cure. Library copies available.

Though they have preyed on helpless children and have sought to bring others into their awful brood, each of the women meets a death that conforms to the Christian promise of salvation. The undead Lucy, for instance, is transformed by her second death into a vision of “unequalled sweetness and purity,” and her soul is returned to her, as is a “holy calm” that “was to reign for ever.” Even the face of Dracula himself assumes “a look of peace, such as [Mina] never could have imagined might have rested there.” Stoker presents a particularly liberal vision of salvation in his implication that the saved need not necessarily be believers. In Dracula, all of the dead are granted the unparalleled peace of salvation—only the “Un-Dead” are barred from it. Good and evil, love, modern vs traditional, religion, role of women, strangers, science vs superstition. More to explore – motifs, symbols, context, settingThrough the Woods by Emily Carroll is a graphic novel of creepy short stories. Library copy available. The original story is not written like a normal novel, but through diaries, letters, telegrams and reports. This allows several narrators to tell the story from their own point of view.

When Bram Stoker sent Dracula to his publisher, he wanted to present it as a true story. The publisher said it would cause panic and refused. It was eventually published on May 26th 1897, which is now #WorldDraculaDay. Further reading New, innovative activities specifically tailored to support the KS3 Framework for Teaching English and help students to fulfil the Framework objectives. Activities include work on Speaking and Listening, close text analysis, and the structure of playscripts, and act as a The protagonists in Dracula are fighting a supernatural monster, and they are successful in their plans eventually, but at a cost. Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. The Consequences of Modernity

Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2021-10-09 14:06:35 Associated-names Balderston, John L. (John Lloyd), 1889-1954; Stoker, Bram, 1847-1912. Dracula Boxid IA40257410 Camera USB PTP Class Camera Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier Characters mention peace of mind in the script a few times. What does that mean to you? Do you think the characters ever had real peace of mind again? The story of ‘ Dracula,’ however, maintains a measure of realism due to the epistolary, journalistic narrative structure. The narration is advanced by the careful journal entries of rational individuals, the innocent letters of naïve friends, newspaper articles, and even ship logs. This makes the story seem quite plausible. Jonathan Harker, a young English lawyer, travels to Castle Dracula in the Eastern European country of Transylvania to conclude a real estate transaction with a nobleman named Count Dracula. As Harker wends his way through the picturesque countryside, the local peasants warn him about his destination, giving him crucifixes and other charms against evil and uttering strange words that Harker later translates into “vampire.”