Passive Voice Use in "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

In this article, we delve into the use of the passive voice in Bram Stoker's Dracula, exploring how it contributes to the novel's haunting atmosphere and emotional depth. We will review the grammar rules of the passive voice across different tenses, and examine its common uses. Drawing from real examples in the text, we will analyze how Stoker’s choice of the passive voice enhances the Gothic tone of his storytelling. Additionally, we will rephrase these examples into active voice to demonstrate the shift in focus and narrative effect. Whether you are a language learner or a literary enthusiast, this exploration will offer insights into both English grammar and the craft of one of the most iconic horror novels in literature.

Understanding the Passive Voice

In English grammar, the passive voice is typically used when the focus is on the action or its recipient, rather than the performer of the action. This is especially common in situations where the doer is unknown, irrelevant, or deliberately omitted to maintain mystery or neutrality. Passive constructions are often employed in formal, scientific, or academic writing to create an objective tone, as well as in storytelling to evoke suspense or highlight a character’s lack of control over events.

Grammar Rules for Passive Voice

The passive voice emphasizes the action being done to the subject rather than the doer of the action. It follows this structure:

Form: [Subject] + [to be] + [past participle] + [optional agent]

Example: “The money is sent in a letter.”

Active vs. Passive:

• Active: Bram Stoker wrote the book.
• Passive: The book was written by Bram Stoker.
  

Agents (the doers of the action) can be introduced using the preposition by, though they are often left unstated when the focus remains on the action itself.

Passive in Different Tenses

Simple Tenses:

• Present Simple: [Subject] + is/am/are + [past participle] E.g., The book is read by many.
• Past Simple: [Subject] + was/were + [past participle] E.g., The castle was visited by Jonathan Harker.
• Future Simple: [Subject] + will be + [past participle] E.g., The secret will be revealed soon.
  

Continuous Tenses:

• Present Continuous: [Subject] + is/am/are being + [past participle] E.g., The plan is being discussed by the group.
• Past Continuous: [Subject] + was/were being + [past participle] E.g., The truth was being uncovered by Van Helsing.
  

Perfect Tenses:

• Present Perfect: [Subject] + has/have been + [past participle] E.g., The letter has been delivered to Mina.
• Past Perfect: [Subject] + had been + [past participle] E.g., The decision had been made before Dracula arrived.
• Future Perfect: [Subject] + will have been + [past participle] E.g., The work will have been completed by tomorrow.
  

Modal Verbs with Passive:

• [Subject] + [modal] + be + [past participle] E.g., The case must be solved by detectives.
  

When to Use the Passive Voice

Writers use the passive voice for specific purposes:

Emphasizing the Action or Object: To focus on what is happening, rather than who is acting. E.g., The manuscript had been burned.

Ambiguity of the Actor: When the doer is unknown or irrelevant. E.g., The door was locked.

Formal or Academic Tone: To sound objective or impersonal. E.g., The experiment was conducted in three phases.

Creating Atmosphere in Fiction: To evoke suspense or depict victimization. E.g., I am imprisoned.

Examples of Passive Voice in Dracula

Below are real examples from Dracula by Bram Stoker, along with rephrasing into active voice for comparison:

“Give me the Herr’s luggage,” said the driver; and with exceeding alacrity my bags were handed out and put in the calèche.

Dracula, Bram StokerOpen book

• Tense: Past Simple
• Active Voice: The driver handed out my bags and put them in the calèche.
  

He mumbled out that the money had been sent in a letter, and that was all he knew.

Dracula, Bram StokerOpen book

• Tense: Past Perfect
• Active Voice: Someone had sent the money in a letter.
  

He knows well that I am imprisoned;

Dracula, Bram StokerOpen book

• Tense: Present Simple
• Active Voice: The Count has imprisoned me.
  

I could see even in the dim light that the stone was massively carved, but that the carving had been much worn by time and weather.

Dracula, Bram StokerOpen book

• Tense: Past Perfect
• Active Voice: Time and weather had worn the carving on the stone.
  

I was awakened by the Count, who looked at me as grimly as a man can look

Dracula, Bram StokerOpen book

• Tense: Past Simple
• Active Voice: The Count awakened me and looked at me as grimly as a man can look.
  

but the door was locked, and the key was gone! That key must be in the Count’s room; I must watch should his door be unlocked, so that I may get it and escape.

Dracula, Bram StokerOpen book

• Tense: Past Simple + Modal Verb
• Active Voice: Someone had locked the door, and someone had taken the key! The key must be in the Count’s room; I must watch to see if he unlocks his door so that I can get it and escape.
  

It has always been at night-time that I have been molested or threatened, or in some way in danger or in fear.

Dracula, Bram StokerOpen book

• Tense: Present Perfect
• Active Voice: It has always been at night-time that someone has molested, threatened, or put me in some way in danger or in fear.
  

To be sure, there were certain small evidences, such as that my clothes were folded and laid by in a manner which was not my habit.

Dracula, Bram StokerOpen book

• Tense: Past Simple
• Active Voice: Someone folded and laid my clothes in a manner which was not my habit.
  

There is an additional cause in that poor old Mr. Swales was found dead this morning on our seat, his neck being broken.

Dracula, Bram StokerOpen book

• Tense: Past Simple
• Active Voice: Someone found Mr. Swales dead this morning on our seat, Mr. Swales broke his neck.
  

Suddenly the door was burst open, and in rushed my patient, with his face distorted with passion.

Dracula, Bram StokerOpen book

• Tense: Past Simple
• Active Voice: My patient burst the door open and rushed in.
  

she was covered with a white sheet, the edge of which had been blown back by the draught through the broken window, showing the drawn, white face, with a look of terror fixed upon it.

Dracula, Bram StokerOpen book

• Tense: Past Simple and Past Perfect
• Active Voice: Someone had covered her with a white sheet. The draught through the broken window had blown back the edge of the sheet.
  

Here we were interrupted in a very startling way. Outside the house came the sound of a pistol-shot; the glass of the window was shattered with a bullet,

Dracula, Bram StokerOpen book

• Tense: Past Simple
• Active Voice: Something interrupted us here in a very startling way. ... A bullet shattered the glass of the window.

Why Passive Voice Was Used in Dracula

In Dracula, Bram Stoker uses the passive voice to create a tone of suspense, helplessness, and mystery, aligning perfectly with the gothic themes of the novel. The provided examples illustrate how the passive voice shifts focus from the agent of the action to its recipient, emphasizing the victim's experience or the outcome of an event. For instance, phrases like “the door was locked, and the key was gone” underscore the protagonist's sense of entrapment and powerlessness. The use of passive voice in descriptions, such as “the stone was massively carved, but the carving had been much worn by time and weather,” adds to the gothic atmosphere, giving life to inanimate objects and their histories. Stoker's deliberate use of the passive voice heightens the emotional impact of key scenes, immersing the reader in a world where characters are often subject to forces beyond their control.

Conclusion

The passive voice is a powerful tool for storytelling, enabling authors to shift focus, create suspense, and convey a sense of inevitability. In Dracula, Bram Stoker employs this structure to amplify the Gothic tone, drawing readers into the characters' experiences of helplessness and mystery. For learners of English, understanding and practicing passive voice, along with active voice conversions, can greatly enhance reading comprehension and writing skills. Discover the timeless gothic masterpiece Dracula by Bram Stoker with the WholeReader app! Immerse yourself in this chilling tale of suspense and mystery, enhanced with tools for seamless reading, listening and comprehension.