Inside Shakespeare’s Medicine Cabinet - Sold out!

Date: 08 November 2012
Location: Dana Centre, London
Summary
Let me have a dram of poison, such soon speeding gear As will disperse itself through all the veins That the life weary taker may fall dead. Romeo, Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare makes frequent references to drugs, poisons and medicines in his plays. Some of his plots, like Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, for example, depend absolutely upon their use as a dramatic device. Shakespeare was unusually well versed in the traditional herbal lore of his day, and there is evidence that he might have obtained this knowledge directly as a result of personal acquaintance with contemporary physicians and apothecaries.
But were these references merely dramatic license, or was there a scientific basis for the use of drugs in his plays? In this event, a troupe of Shakespearian actors will read sections from some of his plays.
Then, Professor Rod Flower and Dr Randolph Arroo will discuss whether such drug references were fanciful inventions, or whether there was indeed a scientific basis for their use. We will consider the use of sleeping draughts in Romeo and Juliet, the effects of thistle extracts in Much Ado About Nothing, and the use of Elizabethan aphrodisiac drugs in Midsummer Night's Dream. The panel will also explore the extent to which modern drug discovery still takes inspiration from plants and other natural products.

To reserve your place call 020 7942 4040 or email tickets@danacentre.org.uk.