The Painterly Materiality of Clouds in <i>Antony and Cleopatra</i> and <i>Hamlet</i>

Abstract This article examines the cloud‐gazing scenes in Antony and Cleopatra and Hamlet through the lens of early modern artistic theory and material practices, particularly the art of limning. Building upon existing philosophical and poetic interpretations of Shakespearean clouds as metaphors for ephemerality and memory, the essay argues that the two plays mobilize contrasting artistic vocabularies – Antony and Cleopatra through the translucent textures of watercolour limnings, and Hamlet through the heavy, ink‐like density of fretted engravings. Drawing on treatises by Nicholas Hilliard and Edward Norgate, as well as visual analyses of works by Dürer and Hilliard, the study foregrounds Shakespeare’s use of highly specific technical lexicons to render the materiality of clouds and ghosts. These “painterly” elements illuminate the plays’ broader concerns with mimesis, memory, and the instability of signs. By attending to the distinct textures and techniques evoked in each play, the article reveals how Shakespeare’s dramatic poetics intersect with contemporary visual culture, offering arresting, spectral images that suspend time and challenge the viewer’s perception of presence and representation.