The Power of Zofloya's Poison

The servant of Henriquez is similar to the other characters in Charlotte Dacre's novel Zofloya, or The Moor. He has a dark side to him and bears the same social pressures that the other characters in the novel feel. There is something different about Zofloya however. He is a more sinister character which can be noted when he introduces his poison to Victoria. The poison that Zofloya introduces to Victoria represents his power that he holds over the lives of the other characters. It is a power that can be connected both in the spans of the story's societal context and his power of life and death that he holds.

Poisons can mean many different things in the context of a novel. A poison has to be crafted carefully and is often expensive to formulate. Zofloya is a servant to Henriquez. He does not possess the wealth of his master so the fact that Zofloya could even bring together a potion that can create death is impressive. The potion that he shows Victoria is not just a show of how much money and power he really has. It came from a "small gold box (154)" which in itself "contained several divisions (154)." This is an ornate box that recognizes Zofloya's wealth and power which betrays his position with Henriquez.

The power of the poison itself reflects Zofloya's hidden leverage over the other characters in the novel. The poison is "one of the most subtile and delicate poisons that ever, by the hand of art, could be composed (154)." It can be hidden in someone's food or even injected into someone's skin by stabbing one with a slight pin. This is the power of life and death in the hands of one man. He can take the life of any character in the novel. He can also give this power to any other character in the novel and he chooses and that character is Victoria.

Victoria is despised greatly by Henrique. She is a vain and vengeful figure in the novel and it seems that Zofloya is taking advantage of this. Zofloya was able to take advantage of Victoria with his eloquent speech and the power of his poison. He keeps talking about "the power of his poison," and how, in order for one to "remedy an evil, it is necessary to strike at the root (155)." This is tempting to Victoria as this is a powerful tool and Zofloya tries to persuade her that she will be able to get together with Berenza by eliminating all in her path. The poison is a leverage and Zofloya can use in order to show people that they do have an answer to their problems in the poison.

Zofloya holds a substantial amount of power with the poison in his possession. The poison is deadly
and valuable, as it is something that would be sought after by a large number of people if its knowledge was widespread. The power and leverage the poison creates is Dacre telling readers that the power over life and death is something that is as elegant and dangerous as Zofloya's poison.

Discussion Questions 
Would any of the other characters in the novel rationalize the use of the poison? What does the poison tell us about Zofloya? 

Why specifically does Zofloya present this to Victoria? Is there a specific reason why Dacre presented the nature imagery on pg. 155?