Note to Romeo and Juliet, 5.1.39: "overwhelming brows"

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Romeo and Juliet,
Act 5, Scene 1, line 39.
overwhelming: jutting, overhanging.  Beetle brows, as on Mercutio's mask (1.4.32) were considered to be ugly and ominous.



Beetle Brows on a Beetle. | Image Source: BBC





Beetle Brows on a Neanderthal. | Image Source: Trenz Pruca's Journal