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Lucy Westenra is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...
in the 1897 novel ''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taki ...
'' by
Bram Stoker
Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busi ...
. The 19-year-old daughter of a wealthy family, she is
Mina Murray's best friend and
Count Dracula
Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some ...
's first English victim. She subsequently transforms into a vampire and is eventually destroyed.
Character history
Lucy Westenra is a 19-year old woman, "blonde, demure, and waiting for the right man to come along to marry her".
She is, however, not a passive woman: she has three suitors, and writes to her friend Mina that she would like to marry all of them, so none of them will feel sad.
All three propose to her on the same day—
Arthur Holmwood
Arthur "Art" Holmwood (later Lord Godalming) is a fictional character in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel '' Dracula''.
In the novel
Holmwood is engaged to Lucy Westenra, and is best friends with the other two men who proposed to her on the very same ...
, the wealthy son of Lord Godalming;
Quincey Morris
Quincey P. Morris is a fictional character in Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic novel ''Dracula''.
In the novel
He is a rich young American from Texas, and one of the three men who propose to Lucy Westenra. Quincey is friends with her other two suit ...
, an American adventurer; and Dr.
John Seward
John "Jack" Seward, M.D. is a fictional character appearing in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel ''Dracula''.
In the novel
Seward is the administrator of an insane asylum not far from Count Dracula's first English home, Carfax. Throughout the nove ...
, a psychiatrist—and she chooses Holmwood. She is prone to
sleepwalking
Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism or noctambulism, is a phenomenon of combined sleep and wakefulness. It is classified as a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. It occurs during slow wave stage of sleep, in a state of lo ...
and is attacked by Dracula, who gradually drains her of her blood until it eventually proves fatal. In her final moments, her vampiric side emerges and nearly tries to bite Arthur, but Lucy regains her human senses and before dying asks
Abraham Van Helsing
Professor Abraham Van Helsing, a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel '' Dracula'', is an aged Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the string of letters that follows h ...
to protect Holmwood, which he does.
A week after her burial Lucy rises from the grave as a vampire, attacking children, which Van Helsing identifies by the telltale bite marks on their necks and the timing of her death and the start of the attacks. She is then confronted and eventually destroyed by Van Helsing and her suitors, allowing her to rest in peace. Lucy's death and subsequent transformation as a vampire motivate her suitors and Mina to join forces with Van Helsing and
Jonathan Harker
Jonathan Harker is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. His journey to Transylvania and encounter with the vampire Count Dracula and his Brides at Castle Dracula constitu ...
in hunting Dracula in retaliation.
Critical readings, historical background
According to Sally Ledger, Lucy "is at first sight an archetype of
Victorian femininity" but later shares characteristics with the then-
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
ideal of the
New Woman
The New Woman was a feminist ideal that emerged in the late 19th century and had a profound influence well into the 20th century. In 1894, Irish writer Sarah Grand (1854–1943) used the term "new woman" in an influential article, to refer to ...
.
[Ledger 101.]
Leslie Ann Minot pointed out, in a 2017 essay on Lucy Westenra and other 19th century female characters, that if ''Dracula'' is an overt portrayal of a sexualized monster then Westenra is problematic since her attacks on children would then equate to "the sweet Lucy
sexually molesting toddlers"; Minot sees this as one reason why the character has received less attention than others. She
historicizes the character (and the novel) by placing it against a backdrop of a number of well-publicized cases of molestation and abuse of children by mother figures, particularly in the context of
baby farming
Baby farming is the historical practice of accepting custody of an infant or child in exchange for payment in late- Victorian Britain and, less commonly, in Australia and the United States. If the infant was young, this usually included wet-nu ...
, citing the case of
Margaret Waters
Margaret Waters, otherwise known as Willis, was an English murderer hanged by executioner William Calcraft on 11 October 1870 at Horsemonger Lane Gaol (also known as Surrey County Gaol) in London.
Waters was born in 1835 and lived in Brixton.
...
). Victorian society had begun to take an interest in the welfare of children, resulting in the
Factory Act of 1891 and the foundation of the SPCC, which would become the
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity.
History
Victorian era
On a trip to New York in 1881, Liverpudlian businessman Thomas Agnew was inspired by a visit to the New York ...
.
[Minot.]
Stoker was well aware of these developments and was close friends with
W. T. Stead, the newspaper editor who supported the SPCC, published lurid accounts of child abuse and was himself jailed for the abduction of a 13-year old girl, which he organized as a demonstration. Stoker used newspaper clippings in the novel that are pastiches of the sensationalist writings of Stead and others about
child prostitution
Child prostitution is prostitution involving a child, and it is a form of commercial sexual exploitation of children. The term normally refers to prostitution of a minor, or person under the legal age of consent.
In most jurisdictions, child ...
, in particular Stead's "
The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon
"The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon" was a series of newspaper articles on child prostitution that appeared in ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' in July 1885. Written by the paper's crusading editor W. T. Stead, the series was a ''tour de force'' of ...
", and he describes the lower-class victims in much the same way. Their childish talk leads to "bloofer lady" as a child's way of saying "beautiful lady". This "bloofer lady" talks to children and lures them with the promise of riches and games, and after returning, bearing bite marks, they become emaciated and weak and wish to return to the "bloofer lady". All this is described in language similar to that of newspaper reports on women seducing children into prostitution. Minot also called Lucy "a demonic mother-parody, taking nourishment from children instead of giving it".
[
]
Appearances
On screen
*Ruth Landshoff appears as Ruth (a character similar to Lucy), the sister of shipbuilder Harding, in the 1922 German silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
''Nosferatu
''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' (German: ''Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens'') is a 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife ...
''.
*Frances Dade
Frances Pemberton Dade (February 14, 1907 – January 21, 1968) was an American film and stage actress of the late 1920s and 1930s.
Family
Dade was born in 1907 to Frances Rawle Pemberton and Francis Cadwallader Dade, Jr. in Philadelphia, Penn ...
was the first young woman to play the speaking role in the cinema in the first film of Universal Studios
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
' Dracula series, though her character was credited as Lucy Weston. In the Spanish-language version of the same year, Carmen Guerrero portrays Lucia Weston. In both films, her death after becoming a vampire occurs off-screen, and is only implied in the English version.
*In the 1953 Turkish film ''Drakula İstanbul'da
''Drakula İstanbul'da'' (''Dracula in Istanbul'') is a Turkish 1953 film version of Bram Stoker's original novel '' Dracula''.
The screenplay was based on a 1928 novel by Ali Riza Seyfi called ''Kazıklı Voyvoda'' (''Impaler Voivode''), and ...
'' she is called Sadan, and is played by Ayfer Feray.
*In 1958, Hammer Films
A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as wi ...
' ''Dracula
''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
'' Lucy is Arthur Holmwood's sister, and her fiancé is Jonathan Harker. She becomes a victim, and later "bride" of Dracula as revenge against Jonathan Harker for destroying his former bride. Lucy meets the same fate as her literary character, although she tries to attack Arthur before being destroyed. She is played by Carol Marsh
Carol Marsh (born Norma Lilian Simpson; 10 May 1926 – 6 March 2010) was an English actress, best known for playing the part of Rose in the 1947 film '' Brighton Rock''.
Marsh was born in Southgate in North London and was educated at a convent ...
.
* Susan George played another Lucy Weston in a TV version of ''Dracula'' in 1968. In this version she is the one who bites Mina and turns her into vampire.
*In 1970, Soledad Miranda
Soledad Rendón Bueno (9 July 1943 – 18 August 1970), better known by her stage names Soledad Miranda or Susann Korda (or sometimes Susan Korday), was an actress and pop singer who was born in Seville, Spain. She starred in several erotic th ...
portrayed Lucy Westenra in ''Count Dracula
Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by som ...
'' by Jesus Franco
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
.[Browning and Picart 50.]
*In the 1971 Czechoslovakian TV movie ''Hrabe Drakula
''Hrabě Drakula'' (''Count Dracula'') is a Czechoslovakian 1971 black and white TV film adaptation of Bram Stoker's original novel '' Dracula''.
This is the first adaptation of the novel to be directed by a woman (who also co-scripted the film ...
'' Lucy is portrayed by Hana Maciuchová. Her last name is never mentioned in this version.
*Dan Curtis
Dan Curtis (born Daniel Mayer Cherkoss; August 12, 1927 – March 27, 2006) was an American director, writer, and producer of television and film, known among fans of horror films for his afternoon TV series ''Dark Shadows'' (1966–1971) and ...
's 1973 TV version of ''Dracula
''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
'' starred Fiona Lewis
Fiona Lewis (born 28 September 1946) is a British actress and writer from Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.Profile
, bfi.org.uk; acc ...
as Lucy Westenra. In this version, Lucy's character was Dracula's reincarnated love.
*Charlotte Blunt portrayed Lucy in the 1973 ''Dracula'' episode of the Canadian ''Purple Playhouse
''Purple Playhouse'' is a Canadian dramatic television series which aired on CBC Television in 1973.
Premise
American and European melodramas were adapted in this series of Canadian productions.
Scheduling
This hour-long series was broadcast mos ...
'' TV series. This version portrayed Mina and Lucy as sisters, and Lucy's full name was Lucy Murray.
*The BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's version of ''Dracula'' saw
Susan Penhaligon
Susan Penhaligon (born 3 July 1949) is a British actress and writer known for her role in the drama series ''Bouquet of Barbed Wire'' (1976), and for playing Helen Barker in the sitcom '' A Fine Romance'' (1981–1984).
She appeared in the so ...
as Lucy Westenra in 1977. This version was first aired in the US as part of the
Great Performances
''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise theatrical performances such as plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is pr ...
series.
This version portrayed Mina and Lucy as sisters.
*The characters of Lucy and Mina were switched in 1979 film ''
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht''. In this version what was the Stoker's Lucy character is now named Mina, she is the one to be killed by vampire. She is played by Martje Grohmann. What was Stoker's Mina character is now named Lucy Harker, she is wife of Jonathan Harker and Dracula’s second and main victim. She is played by
Isabelle Adjani
Isabelle Yasmina Adjani ; born 27 June 1955) is a French actress and singer of Algerian and German descent. She is the only performer in history to win five César Awards for acting; she won the Best Actress award for '' Possession'' (1981), '' ...
.
*The characters of Lucy and Mina were also switched in 1979 film ''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
'' starring
Frank Langella
Frank A. Langella Jr. (; born January 1, 1938) is an American stage and film actor. He has won four Tony Awards: two for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his performance as Richard Nixon in Peter Morgan's '' Frost/Nixon'' and as André in Flori ...
. What was the Stoker's Lucy character is now named Mina Van Helsing, the daughter of Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, who arrives after her death, finds her to be a vampire and kills her. She is played by
Jan Francis
Janet Stephanie Francis (born 5 August 1947) is an English actress. She appeared as Penny Warrender in the 1980s romantic comedy ''Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Francis was born at the former Charing Cross Hospital London. She is the eldes ...
. What was the Stoker's Mina character is now named Lucy Seward, the daughter of Dr. Seward and fiancee of Jonathan Harker. This character survives Dracula's power, and only momentarily becomes his bride. She is played by
Kate Nelligan
Patricia Colleen Nelligan (born March 16, 1950), known professionally as Kate Nelligan, is a Canadian stage, film and television actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1991 film ''The Prince of Tide ...
.
*In ''
Bram Stoker's Dracula'' (1992), directed by
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...
, Lucy is played by
Sadie Frost
Sadie Liza Frost (née Vaughan; born 19 June 1965) is an English actress, producer and fashion designer, who ran fashion label Frost French (until its closure in 2011) and a film production company (Blonde to Black Pictures).
Early life
Frost ...
. Lucy is eroticized much further than her literary incarnation, becoming more than seductive and coquettish, even tempting. As a spoiled child of aristocracy, she talks with artlessness and frankness, bordering on the indecent, though at the same time remaining a kind-hearted and sweet young girl. Unlike her friend Mina, who stays resolute, Lucy's flirty nature is to be her downfall. She is drawn into Dracula’s claws because of her
sleepwalking
Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism or noctambulism, is a phenomenon of combined sleep and wakefulness. It is classified as a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. It occurs during slow wave stage of sleep, in a state of lo ...
.
*Lucy Westenra was played by
Lysette Anthony
Lysette Anne Chodzko (born 26 September 1963), known professionally as Lysette Anthony, is an English actress and model. She is known for her roles in the film ''Husbands and Wives'' (1992), as Princess Lysssa in the 1983 fantasy epic '' Krull ...
in
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began h ...
' parody ''
Dracula: Dead and Loving It'' (1995).
*In ''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
'', a 2002 Italian miniseries (also known as ''Dracula's Curse''), Lucy is portrayed by
Muriel Baumeister
Muriel Baumeister (born January 24, 1972) is a Germany, German-Austrian film and television actress. She was born in Salzburg, Austria.
Selected filmography
* ''Rising to the Bait'' (1992)
* ' (1992, TV film)
* ' (1995, TV film)
* ''Life Is a Bl ...
.
*In ''
Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary'', a 2002 ballet/silent film version directed by
Guy Maddin
Guy Maddin (born February 28, 1956) is a Canadian screenwriter, director, author, cinematographer, and film editor of both features and short films, as well as an installation artist, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Since completing his first film in ...
, dancer
Tara Birtwhistle
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America.
History
It was founded in 1939 as the "Winnipeg Ballet Club" by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally (who also fou ...
portrayed Lucy Westenra.
*In BBC One's
2006 adaptation of ''Dracula'', Lucy was played by
Sophia Myles
Sophia Jane Myles (; born 18 March 1980) is an English actress. She is best known in film for portraying Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward in Thunderbirds (2004 film), ''Thunderbirds'' (2004), Isolde in ''Tristan & Isolde (film), Tristan & Isolde'' (2 ...
. Her character remained largely unchanged, although she serves as an unintentional catalyst for events as her husband, Arthur Holmwood, arranges for Dracula to come to Britain in the hope that Dracula will be able to cure him of the syphilis that prevents him from consummating his marriage to Lucy.
*In the 2008 Indian
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
-language television series for
Gemini TV
Gemini TV is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel. It was launched on 9 February 1995 by Gemini Group, owned by A. Manohar Prasad (grandson of L. V. Prasad), in association with Sun TV Network. In 1996-97, Sun ...
, ''Dracula'', her character is portrayed by Lakshmi.
*Lucy was played by
Asia Argento
Asia Argento (; born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento; 20 September 1975) is an Italian actress and filmmaker. The daughter of filmmaker Dario Argento, she has had roles in several of her father's features and achieved mainstream success with a ...
in the 2012 film ''
Dracula 3D
''Dracula 3D'' (also known as ''Dario Argento’s Dracula'') is a 2012 vampire horror film co-written and directed by Dario Argento and starring Thomas Kretschmann, Rutger Hauer, Marta Gastini, and Unax Ugalde. An Italian-Spanish-French co-prod ...
''. In this version she is named Lucy Kisslinger. She is also daughter of the local mayor at the Transylvanian village.
*In the 2013 Indian
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
-language film, ''
Dracula 2012
''Dracula 2012'' is a 2013 Indian supernatural horror romantic film directed by Vinayan, starring Sudheer Sukumaran, Prabhu, Monal Gajjar, Nassar, Shraddha Das and Thilakan.
The film was partially re-shot in Tamil and Telugu as ''Naangam Pira ...
'', her character is portrayed by Priya Nambiar.
*In
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
's 2013 production of ''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
'', Lucy Westenra is played by
Katie McGrath
Katie McGrath () is an Irish actress. In television, she gained recognition for portraying Morgana Pendragon in the BBC One series ''Merlin'' (2008–2012), Lucy Westenra on the British-American series ''Dracula'' (2013–2014), Saskia in the ...
. In this version, Lucy is bisexual and harbors secret romantic feelings for Mina.
* In the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's 2020 ''