Apothecary: "Who calls so loud?"
Romeo: "Come hither, man. I see that thou art poor.
Hold, there is forty ducats. Let me have
A dram of poison, such soon-speeding gear
As will disperse itself through all the veins
That the life-weary takers may fall dead,
And that the trunk may be discharged of breath
As violently as hasty powder fired
Doth hurry from the fatal cannon's womb."
Apothecary: "Such mortal drugs I have, but Mantua's law
Is death to any he that utters them."
Romeo: "Art thou so bare and full of wretchedness,
And fear'st to die? Famine is in thy cheeks,
Need and oppression starveth in thine eyes,
Contempt and beggary hangs upon thy back;
The world is not thy friend, nor the world's law:
The world affords no law to make thee rich;
Then be not poor, but break it, and take this."
In these lines, Romeo emphasizes the apothecary's poverty and suggests that he should not fear the consequences of breaking the law considering his difficult circumstances. He highlights that the world does not offer him any opportunities for wealth and encourages him to cast aside his fear and take the money offered in exchange for the poison. However, the apothecary initially resists, reminding him of the strict law in Mantua that punishes anyone who sells poison with death.