From the beginning he decided against Spenser's method of slipping brief passages of topical reference into otherwise innocent material — not only was it inelegant, they stood out too clearly. Nor would he go for Lyly's shadowy parallels — they were too vague and imprecise for his purpose. The references in Sidney's Arcadia were too obscure. Marlowe and Kyd were dangerously obvious. Instead he set himself an almost impossible task. His plays would be seamlessly organic: every detail of the plot material, from first to last, would serve a dual purpose. Seen from the right angle, they would act in the same way as a pun—perfectly clear, yet perfectly deniable. This plan involved a decision breathtaking to modern readers, accustomed to regarding Shakespeare as literature's most profound and subtle psychologist. All his plots and characters, however complex, would have equally complex shadow identities.