Renfield Quotes

The bride-maidens rejoice the eyes that wait the coming of the bride. But when the bride draweth nigh, then the maidens shine not to the eyes that are filled.

– Bram Stoker

Dracula, Chapter 8. Dr. Seward’s mentally ill patient Renfield makes this reply when asked why he has lost interest in his hobby of catching and counting spiders. Renfield is the diabolical version of John the Baptist, who prepares the way for Lord of Evil – Count Dracula, the bride referred to by Renfield. Renfield uses scripture in a profane sense, his quote being a transformation of John 3.29: "The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete."

Then I caught the patient’s eye and followed it, but could trace nothing as it looked into the moonlight sky, except a big bat, which was flapping its silent and ghostly way to the west. Bats usually wheel about, but this one seemed to go straight on, as if it knew where it was bound for or had some intention of its own.

– Bram Stoker

Dracula, Chapter 9. Renfield, the patient in the lunatic asylum, becomes agitated and attempts to escape but is caught by the orderlies and Dr. Seward. Just then Renfield looks upwards and Dr. Seward notices a large bat flying above. Renfield suddenly becomes calm and agrees to go back to the asylum. Seward is puzzled, he doesn’t realize that the bat is Dracula who can transform into an animal.

She came at once, after saying pleasantly to Mr. Renfield, "Goodbye, and I hope I may see you often, under auspices pleasanter to yourself."
To which, to my astonishment, he replied, "Goodbye, my dear. I pray God I may never see your sweet face again. May He bless and keep you!"

– Bram Stoker

Dracula, Chapter 18. Renfield appears to have taken a shine to Mina and doesn’t wish to see her come to harm at the hands of Dracula. He knows that he is helping Dracula in his evil ways and seems to have some regrets about this. So he prays to God that he will never see Mina’s sweet face again – he wants her protected from the dark events that are to come. This foreshadows the special interest that Dracula will take in Mina, when he later subjects her to a number of attacks, including a particularly horrific one.

You don’t know what you do by keeping me here. I am speaking from the depths of my heart, of my very soul. You don’t know whom you wrong, or how, and I may not tell. Woe is me! I may not tell. By all you hold sacred, by all you hold dear, by your love that is lost, by your hope that lives, for the sake of the Almighty, take me out of this and save my soul from guilt! Can’t you hear me, man? Can’t you understand? Will you never learn? Don’t you know that I am sane and earnest now, that I am no lunatic in a mad fit, but a sane man fighting for his soul? Oh, hear me! Hear me! Let me go, let me go, let me go!

– Bram Stoker

Dracula, Chapter 18. Renfield makes a very articulate and sane-like plea to Dr. Seward to release him from the lunatic asylum, not for his own sake for that of others. He warns that there will be dire consequences if he is not released. This foreshadows something bad to come, if he continues to be confined in the asylum. He says this not as a threat, but as the words of a man who does not wish to be guilty of something. Renfield fears that Dracula may manipulate him and cause him to do harm to Mina.

You will, I trust, Dr. Seward, do me the justice to bear in mind, later on, that I did what I could to convince you tonight.

– Bram Stoker

Dracula, Chapter 18. Renfield to Dr. Seward, asking to be pardoned from the lunatic asylum, which Seward refuses. Renfield begs to be let go, adding that he cannot say why, but that he is now a "sane man fighting for his soul." He actually wants to protect Mina and to escape the manipulations of Dracula. Renfield hints that bad things will result from the refusal to release him.

I don’t want any souls, indeed, indeed! I don’t. I couldn’t use them if I had them; they would be no manner of use to me. I couldn’t eat them.

– Bram Stoker

Dracula, Chapter 20. Renfield, a patient at Dr. Seward’s insane asylum, argues with Seward. He says he wants life from other beings, but he does not want their souls. Renfield, who eats flies, spiders and other small creatures, consumes their flesh for the purposes of sustaining life and drinks blood for the purposes of increasing power. But he seems worried about the souls of humans, and may be expressing concern for Mina here – Dracula’s latest prey.

Logically all these things point one way! He has assurance of some kind that he will acquire some higher life. He dreads the consequence – the burden of a soul. Then it is a human life he looks to! And the assurance–? Merciful God! the Count has been to him, and there is some new scheme of terror afoot!

– Bram Stoker

Dracula, Chapter 20. Dr. John Seward, on his mental patient Renfield, after interviewing him. He realizes that there is a close connection between Renfield and the vampire Dracula and some new scheme of terror is about to happen. But Seward is a slow learner and fails to grasp the full gravity of the situation with Renfield and that Mina is in mortal danger. This foreshadows the terrible fate that Dracula has in store for Mina.

The attendant came bursting into my room and told me that Renfield had somehow met with some accident. He had heard him yell; and when he went to him found him lying on his face on the floor, all covered with blood.

– Bram Stoker

Dracula, Chapter 20. Renfield, who had warned Dr. John Seward that he was in danger and the asylum would not protect him from Count Dracula, is discovered lying on the floor with his face smashed. Initially Seward chooses to believe Renfield is the victim of an accident, and not some supernatural force.

When I came to Renfield’s room, I found him lying on the floor on his left side in a glittering pool of blood…As the face was exposed I could see that it was horribly bruised, as though it had been beaten against the floor.

– Bram Stoker

Dracula, Chapter 21. Dr. Seward and Van Helsing rush into Renfield’s room in the lunatic asylum to discover him on the brink of death, his back broken and face smashed in. Angry that the Count had been draining the life’s blood out of Mina, Renfield had attacked Dracula, who flung him across the room fatally injuring him.
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