Hebenon (or hebona) is a

botanical Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

substance described in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

tragic Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy i ...

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

''. The identity and nature of the poison has been a source of speculation for centuries.

Shakespeare's usage

Hebenon is the agent of death in Hamlet's father's murder; it sets in motion the events of the play. It is spelled ''hebona'' in the Quartos and ''hebenon'' in the Folios. This is the only mention of ''hebona'' or ''hebenon'' in any of Shakespeare’s plays. ::''Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole,'' ::''With juice of cursed hebenon in a vial,'' ::''And in the porches of my ears did pour'' ::''The leperous distilment; whose effect'' ::''Holds such an enmity with blood of man'' ::''That, swift as quicksilver, it courses through'' ::''The natural gates and alleys of the body;'' ::''And with a sudden vigour it doth posset'' ::''And curd, like eager droppings into milk,'' ::''The thin and wholesome blood; so did it mine;'' ::''And a most instant

tetter {{Short description, Characteristic of skin conditions Tetter refers to any skin condition characterized by reddish vesicular eruptions and intense itching. Common diseases called tetter include: *Eczema and Duhring's disease *Herpes *Porphyria c ...

bark'd about,'' ::''Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust'' ::''All my smooth body.'' ::''Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother's hand,'' ::''Of life, of crown, of queen, at once dispatch'd:'' :::—Ghost (

King Hamlet The ghost of Hamlet's father is a character from William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet''. In the stage directions he is referred to as "Ghost". His name is also Hamlet, and he is referred to as ''King'' Hamlet to distinguish him from the Prince, ...

, Hamlet's Father) spoken to Hamlet :::::::::: ct I, scene 5

Identity of the poison

Writers from Shakespeare's time to the present have speculated about the identity of hebenon. It may be different from hemlock, as hemlock is explicitly mentioned in several other writings of his (including ''King Lear'', ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'', and ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

''). In favour of it being

yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew (''Taxus br ...

are the familiarity of yew as a poison and the similarity in symptoms.

Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (; 1552/1553 – 13 January 1599) was an English poet best known for '' The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen o ...

wrote of "the deadly heben bow" ("heben" being a word for ebony, from Latin ''hebenus''). In favour of

ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...

(specifically, guaiac) is the fact that ebony was sometimes written with an h, but arguing against it is the low toxicity of guaiac. In favour of henbane is its toxic nature and the possible origin of hebenon as metathesis from henbane. Other authors question whether there is sufficient evidence to resolve the issue, or even whether Shakespeare's attention to botany and pharmacology was sufficient to say he meant a specific plant.

John Updike John Hoyer Updike (March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009) was an American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic. One of only four writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once (the others being Booth Tar ...

's retelling in the novel ''Gertrude and Claudius'' identifies the poison as "the juice of hebona," which "combines the essences of yew and henbane, with other ingredients inimical to the blood's humors."John Updike, ''Gertrude and Claudius'' (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000), p. 155.

References

Further reading *Huxtable, Ryan J. "On the nature of Shakespeare's cursed hebona." ''Perspectives in Biology and Medicine'' Winter 1993: 262+. ''Academic OneFile''. 10 Oct. 2012. *G. H
"Shakespeare's Hebona"
''Pharmacy in History'' Vol. 35, No. 3 (1993), p. 137 DOI: 10.2307/41111539 *Harrison, Jr., Thomas P
"Shakespeare's 'Hebenon' Again"
''The Modern Language Review'' Vol. 40, No. 4, Oct., 1945 p. 310-311 *Montgomery, Marshall
""Cursed Hebenon" (Or "Hebona")"
''The Modern Language Review'' Vol. 15, No. 3, Jul., 1920 p. 304-306 *Simpson, R. R
"Shakespeare on the Ear, Nose and Throat"
''The Journal of Laryngology & Otology'' Volume64 Issue06 June 1950, pp 342–352 *Tabor, Edward
"Plant poisons in Shakespeare"
''Economic Botany'' 1970, Volume 24, Number 1, Pages 81–94

External links

* by K.N. Rao, Professor of Botany in

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