This article aims at investigating the problem of visual representation, with reference to theatrical conversation pieces, during late 18th century. One of the most visionary painters of the time was Henry Fuseli, an artist who actively participated in the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery. Fuseli’s paintings show profound ontological problems connected to stage representation, actors identity, and visual imagination, especially when it comes to representation inspired by Shakespeare’s works. This essay sheds light on the relationship between Shakespeare’s characters, the actors impersonating them, and their representations in the paintings of the day
