Samaritan Snare was a reflection of modern society. With that in mind, portly actors were hired in order to give the impression of Tweedledum and Tweedledee from Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking-Glass". Makeup supervisor Michael Westmore then created a prosthetic design for the actors, intending to make them look "whimsical". Appliances were created for their cheeks, foreheads and the tip of the actor's noses. A further addition was the eyebrows, as Westmore wanted them to look permanently sad. The final step in the makeup process was the creation of sets of false upper teeth, which while Westmore suggested was not immediately noticeable
Muzio Scevola Giovanni Bononcini had also been resident in London and composing operas for the Academy since 1719 and some music lovers preferred his lighter, more Italianate style with straightforward melodies to Handel's more weighty music. The rivalry between those who supported one of the composers more than the other inspired a satirical ditty from John Byrom: <poem> Some say, compared to Bononcini That meinherr Handel's but a ninny. Others aver that he to Handel Is scarcely fit to hold a candle. Strange all this difference should be Twixt Tweedledum and Tweedledee!</poem> To capitalise on this rivalry, according to Handel's first biographer