Iizuka's background in classical literature inspires her 'fusing of classical styles and forms to modern and contemporary voices.' Evident in her adaptation of Hamlet "Hamlet: Blood on the Brain" (2006), Johns Hopkins University Press describes her work as reinforcing 'a sense that the play's archetypal quality could be adapted to fit a society lacking resonance with either ancient Scandinavia or Elizabethan London….non-academic spectators could accept that classics illuminate modern society.' Set in Oakland in the 1980s, the play is about a young man who gets out of prison to find his father murdered and his uncle in charge of his mother's house. Through the history of Oakland, CA, the play explores the theme of anger and violence in contemporary time, drawing strong parallels to Shakespeare's "Hamlet".