Frequently (and not so frequently) Asked Questions
BRIEF: Does this situation seem reasonable?
QUESTION:
I am working on a WebQuest education tool for my English 422 class. This WebQuest
is basically taking Hamlet and converting it to a murder mystery...the students
just know that there are a lot of dead bodies, and they have to go through the
"documents"(sections of the play) and biological information to find out what
happened.
Shakespeare does mention that henbane was one of the poisons used.
However, there is a second poison, possibly plant based, that is
unnamed. The poison takes effect by entering the bloodstream (Laertes cut
Hamlet with a sword coated by the poison to kill him), and is fatal, with
a fairly quick response time. Because it would be too confusing to the
students, I would like to not use hebenon. I was thinking either
nightshade or death camas would fit, but I would like to hear from
someone more knowledgable in the field. Do you have any suggestions that
would fit the criteria?
ANSWER:
I do not think either nightshade or death camas would do this at the dose
administered on the blade of a sword.