The initial chapter contains passing mentions of Othello, Measure for Measure, Twelfth Night, Comedy of Errors, Midsummer Night's Dream, but there is little discussion of Shakespeare's work until near chapter's end when Marston's Antonio and Mellida, Antonio's Revenge and "
The Murder of Gonzago" are considered in relation to Hamlet.
Priam's slaughter by Pyrrhus,
the Murder of Gonzago (the Player King), and the killing of Hamlet senior by Claudius.
Josh Carpenter oscillated between the serious and the comic, as he played both Laertes and a cross-dressing player in "
The Murder of Gonzago." His strong physical presence, as both protective brother and flamboyant player, added depth to his two supporting roles.