Richard Hillman broadens the field of known sources by moving from 'scraps' of plot and language' to more diffuse philosophical or political influences on three characters, each the product of an 'intertextual bricolage' which accounts for Shakespeare's 'ungrammaticalities'... One emerges quite dazzled by the extent of Hillman's learning.Dominique Goy-Blanquet, Times Literary Supplement, 19th October 2012Hillman breathes renewed life into multiple diverse early modern French texts, illuminating their resonances with mostly canonical English works... There is a wealth of knowledge to be gained from Hillman’s deep particular research in French sources—work that will undoubtedly inspire future inquiry.Hillman illuminates another elusive corner of Shakespeare's creative process with this study, representing another incremental - but certainly important - advancement in Shakespearean scholarship.