Buffy= Mina, the source of Dracula's lust

Xander= Renfield, the person who is overcome by Dracula to do his bidding

Giles= Jonathan, in the sense that he is the male figure that goes to Dracula's castle

With these characters being portrayed as Bram Staoker's characters, Joss Whedon,the series' creator, was able to, yet again, recreate the story of Dracula in modern terms. He recreates many scenes such as Dracula's control over Xander (Renfield). He also provides a great setting for "Dracula's Castle" (one of his many homes) in the middle of Sunnydale. In Dracula's castle, Giles is tempted by the vampire wenches when he is trying to save Buffy and find Xander. Finally, the biggest comparison is the overall theme of the episode. As I have mentioned, the Buffy characters are clsoely related to those in Bram Stoker's Dracula. Buffy becomes facinated with the figure of Dracula, and though she is repulsed by him and knows what she must do, she still feels the passion for him. This episode also has hidden meanings within it that relate the show with modern day events. For example, Dracula is well known and popular today; therefore, Joss portrays him as a celebrity that all of the vampire know. He also gives him the modern advantage of being able to escape death. When Buffy is stakeing him, he keeps changeing into a cloud of mist. Even when she finally gets him, he is able to come back due to his strengthened powers. Overall, I feel that Joss did this episode to show the modern day version of Bram Stoker's Dracula in a parody.

A lot of the time, Buffy episodes are closely related to aspects of pop culture. Here are some quotes, from this episode of Buffy, that refer to pop culture aspects. These are directly quoted and taken from The Watcher's Guide.

"Are you sure this isn't some fanboy thing? 'Cause I've fought more than a couple pimply overweight vamps that called themselves Lestat."

Buffy is naturally suspicious of Dracula's true identity as a literary figure, considering she has apparently had several encounters with vamps claiming to be the anti-hero from Anne Rice's immensely popular series The Vampire Chronicles.

“And where’d you get that accent? Sesame Street? ‘One, Two, Three—three victums! Maw ha ha!’”

Xander believes Dracula to be more like a count of the kind brought to you by the Children’s Television Workshop—namely, Count von Count.