In act 5 scene 1 Romeo is meant to receive friar Lawrence letter about Juliet being alive and the whole escape plan from friar John but because there was an illness in Mantua friar John could not gain access to Romeo and so he returned and friar Lawrence was not happy so he decided that he would go and bust open Juliet tomb himself. when Romeo herded from Balthasar the incorrect news that Juliet was dead Romeo was massively upset so he wanted to kill himself he remembered that there was an apothecary which was run by a poor old man. Romeo went over to the apothecary and asked for Some poison but the old man said that he can not sell it to him but when Romeo offered him a massive amount of gold for it soon changed but Romeo did say that this gold is more harmful than the poison you are giving me.