Joseph Nebus wrote:
> The Conscience of the King
> The Plot:
> Kirk suspects the leader of a Shakespearean troupe is Kodos the
> Executioner, presumed dead for 20 years. (Tivo)
I think one thing that you missed, was that the plot of the episode
itself was cleverly structured to be parallel to Shakespeare's "Hamlet".
And with the Karidian players performing Hamlet aboard the U.S.S.
Enterprise, we had a play within a play:
Kirk ==> Hamlet
Dr. Leighton ==> The Ghost
Lenore Karidian ==> Ophelia
Kodos ==> Claudius
Anton Karidian ==> Polonius
Like Hamlet, Kirk is wrestling with whether to act against Kodos ("to
be, or not to be"). Like Hamlet, Kirk arranges for a play to be staged
to expose the murderer. But the play that Kirk arranges is Hamlet, so
we end up with a play within a play within a play!
So the plot of the episode roughly parallels the plot of Hamlet.
--
Steven L.
Email: sdlitvin@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
the NOSPAM before replying to me.


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