Makeup

Makeup symbolizes artifice. This is a stock belief of eighteenth-century writing by men – that cosmetics were used by women to deceive and entrap men into thinking they were more beautiful than they truly were. In typical style, Swift here takes this idea to its logical extreme, showing a woman who is in decay underneath her makeup (and thus possibly poking fun at the idea that a woman could disguise her appearance so effectively with cosmetics).

Shepherds

Shepherds symbolize pastoral romance. This symbol is mentioned at the very beginning of the poem, as Swift pivots the reader away from the expected (the beautiful nymph) and towards the description of Corinna that makes up the bulk of the poem. The shepherds are written out in this second line, showing that they have no place in the capitalistic and destructive world of modern romance.

Vermin

Vermin appear in several...