The first critic, George Maxwell, is murdered by a mob of homeless people, suggested by the murder of Caesar in "Julius Caesar". The second, Hector Snipe, is stabbed with a spear and his body is dragged away, to appear at George Maxwell's funeral tied to a horse's tail, replicating the murder of Hector in "Troilus and Cressida". The third, Horace Sprout, is decapitated while sleeping, as was Cloton in "Cymbeline". The fourth critic, Trevor Dickman, has his heart cut out by Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice", the play beinmg rewritten so that Antonio is forced to repay his debt with a pound of flesh. The fifth, Oliver Larding, is drowned in a barrel of wine, as is the Duke of Clarence in "Richard III". For the next play, "Romeo and Juliet", Lionheart lures the critic Peregrine Devlin to a fencing gymnasium, where he reenacts the sword fight from the play. He badly wounds Devlin, but chooses not to kill him at this juncture. The sixth critic, Solomon Psaltery, an obsessively jealous man, murders his wife believing her to be unfaithful, as portrayed in "Othello". Although this critic survives, his actions lead to his imprisonment and it is speculated that because of his age he will die in prison. The seventh critic, Miss Chloe Moon, the only female victim, is electrocuted to replicate the burning of Joan of Arc in "Henry VI, Part 1". The eighth critic, Meredith Merridew, a flamboyant gourmand, is forcefed pies made from the flesh of his two toy poodles (whom he regards as his "babies") until he chokes to death, replicating the death of Queen Tamora in "Titus Andronicus" who is fed her children in a pie.