--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: His limbs were in proportion, and I had…" description: "\"“His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!--Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscle..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/mary-shelley-1789_quote_his-limbs-were-in-proportion-and-i-had-s_1958568.jpg" --- # His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his… ![“His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!--Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more…” quote by Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/mary-shelley-1789_quote_his-limbs-were-in-proportion-and-i-had-s_1958568.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/mary-shelley-1789_quote_his-limbs-were-in-proportion-and-i-had-s_1958568.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/mary-shelley-1789_quote_his-limbs-were-in-proportion-and-i-had-s_1958568.jpg) > ““His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!--Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.”” [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes a creature whose physical beauty masks a grotesque, unsettling inner reality, highlighting the tension between appearance and underlying horror. **In simple terms:** Beauty hides horror. Key Takeaway Look beyond appearances. Themes appearance duality monster beauty horror Mood uneasy reflective Type literary descriptive When to use this quote - art critique - ethical debates - psychology - medical anatomy Key Concepts Aesthetics humanity otherness Questions to Reflect On - What does true beauty mean? - How do we judge based on looks? A Different Perspective The creature’s allure may be deceptive, leading to misjudgment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [She resembles the Venus de Milo: she is very old, has no teeth, and has white spots on her yellow skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/she-resembles-the-venus-de-milo-she-is-very-old-has-no-teeth-and-has/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) ## More by Mary Shelley > [“but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/but-now-that-i-had-finished-the-beauty-of-the-dream-vanished-and/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I wished, as it were, to procrastinate all that related to my feelings of affection until the great object, which swallowed up every habit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-wished-as-it-were-to-procrastinate-all-that-related-to-my-feelings/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“A sense of security, a feeling that a truce was established between the present hour and the irresistible, disastrous future imparted to me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/a-sense-of-security-a-feeling-that-a-truce-was-established-between/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“Who was I? 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This letter will reach England by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-write-a-few-lines-in-haste-to-say-that-i-am-safe-and-well-advanced/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I enjoyed this scene; and yet my enjoyment was embittered both by the memory of the past, and the anticipation of the future. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-enjoyed-this-scene-and-yet-my-enjoyment-was-embittered-both-by-the/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I learned that the possessions most esteemed by your fellow-creatures were, high and unsullied descent united with riches. A man might be respected with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-learned-that-the-possessions-most-esteemed-by-your-fellow-creatures/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“These are my enticements, and they are sufficient to conquer all fear of danger or death and to induce me to commence this laborious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/these-are-my-enticements-and-they-are-sufficient-to-conquer-all-fear/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I will tell my story, and my reader shall judge for me. 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