poison

• In which act and scene does Friar Lawrence first appear?

  Act 2, scene 2
• What does Friar Lawrence say about plants, herbs, and stones?

  They have special properties for good and bad uses
• How does Friar Lawrence view poison?

  It is not intrinsically evil, but made lethal by humans
• What does the sleeping potion symbolize in the play?

  It symbolizes unintended consequences of human actions
• What is the outcome of the potion given to Juliet?

  It causes the appearance of death, not actual death
• What tragic event occurs due to the potion's effects?

  Romeo's suicide
• What does Romeo suggest about the apothecary's actions?

  Society is to blame for his criminal selling of poison
• What does poison symbolize in relation to society in the play?

  Society's tendency to corrupt good things
• How does the Capulet-Montague feud affect Romeo and Juliet's love?

  It turns their love into something fatal
• What distinguishes this play from many other tragedies?

  It lacks an evil villain
• How are the characters' good qualities affected in the play?

  They are turned to poison by their world
• What is the significance of Friar Lawrence's role in the play?

  He represents the complexity of human intentions
• What does the phrase "nothing exists in nature that cannot be put to both good and bad uses" imply?

  Nature's substances can have dual purposes
• How does the play explore the relationship between human actions and fate?

  Human actions lead to unintended tragic outcomes
• What role do societal laws play in the apothecary's actions?

  They restrict his ability to earn money
• What broader themes are explored in the narrative of Romeo and Juliet?

  Love, death, and societal influence
• Within the infant rind of this small flowerPoison hath residence and medicine power.For this, being smelt, with that part cheers each part;Being tasted, stays all senses with the heart.Two such opposèd kings encamp them still,In man as well as herbs—grace and rude will. (2.3.23–28)
• What does Friar Lawrence say about the small flower?

  It has both poison and medicine power
• How does the small flower affect the senses according to Friar Lawrence?

  Smelling cheers each part, tasting dulls senses
• What does Friar Lawrence compare the dual nature of the plant to?

  He compares it to grace and rude will in men
• What does the poison in the plant symbolize according to Friar Lawrence?

  It symbolizes the dark side of human nature
• How does the poison play a role in the story of Romeo and Juliet?

  It leads to the deaths of the two lovers
• What are the key themes presented by Friar Lawrence regarding the plant?

  • Dual nature of plants: medicinal and poisonous
  • Symbolism of poison as dark human nature
  • Connection between nature and human behavior
• Hath Romeo slain himself? Say thou but “ay,”And that bare vowel I shall poison moreThan the death-darting eye of cockatrice. (3.2.46–48)
• Hath Romeo slain himself? Say thou but “ay,”And that bare vowel I shall poison moreThan the death-darting eye of cockatrice. (3.2.46–48)

  Juliet says that if Romeo has killed himself, she will become figuratively like poison—angry, dangerous, harmful—and even more poisonous than a snake. Poison is a symbol of the dark side of humans.
• There is thy gold, worse poison to men’s souls,Doing more murder in this loathsome world,Than these poor compounds that thou mayst not sell.I sell thee poison. Thou hast sold me none. (5.1.84–87)
• There is thy gold, worse poison to men’s souls,Doing more murder in this loathsome world,Than these poor compounds that thou mayst not sell.I sell thee poison. Thou hast sold me none. (5.1.84–87)

  Romeo buys poison from the poor apothecary, which he plans to take to Juliet’s tomb and then drink himself. Here, he claims that the money he uses to pay for the poison is a type of poison itself, as money has been the cause of more deaths than the actual poison he bought ever has. Poison symbolizes anything that is evil and harmful.
• (kisses JULIET,takes out the poison)Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide.Thou desperate pilot, now at once run onThe dashing rocks thy seasick, weary bark.Here’s to my love! (drinks the poison) (5.3.125–129)
• (kisses JULIET,takes out the poison)Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide.Thou desperate pilot, now at once run onThe dashing rocks thy seasick, weary bark.Here’s to my love! (drinks the poison) (5.3.125–129)

  Poison is harmful and evil, but here Romeo also calls it a way, a guide, and a pilot—three things that will bring him relief. Here, poison symbolizes his escape from this world, the cruel world that took Juliet from him, the empty world with which he’s grown tired.