You are here

Conventions of Love Poetry
Cultural Reference
Act 2,
Scene 1
Lines 18-22

Mercutio describes Juliet's physical beauty to Romeo, emphasizing her midsection, in myShakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 1.

Mercutio

I conjure thee by Rosaline's bright eyes,
By her high forehead and her scarlet lip,
By her fine foot, straight leg and quivering thigh,
And the demesnes that there adjacent lie,                     
That in thy likeness thou appear to us!

It was a standard convention of love poetry to describe a woman's physical beauty, starting with her hair and working down to her feet. Mercutio describes Rosaline's physical beauty using this convention, paying special attention to her midsection. Though Romeo has since moved onto an infatuation with Juliet, Mercutio is not yet aware of this development, and assumes his friend is still infatuated with Rosaline.