Within the infant rind of this small flower
Poison hath residence and medicine power.
– William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 3. As Friar Laurence tends to his medicinal herbs, he speaks of the competing powers of good and evil contained within the tiny flowers. They can be used to produce poison or medicine. The plants are a metaphor for human nature. The passage is foreshadowing of the wrong decisions that the lovers Romeo and Juliet make leading to their deaths. This is the poison the friar speaks about. The passage also highlights the theme of appearance vs reality, a flower may appear pretty but if you eat it it can poison you.