Ozymandias - Percy Shelley Flashcards

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1
Q

“sneer of cold command”

A
  • harsh alliteration symbolises the cruelty of Ozymandias
  • “sneer” → mocking, scorn, disgust
    mocking reinforced by “the hand that mocked”
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2
Q

“The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed”

A

hand represents physical mocking and heart feeds the mocking → Ozymandias has the power to influence/control people’s lives (can make them suffer to feed his satisfaction)

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3
Q

“Which yet survive”

A
  • inevitability of nature → Shelley celebrated nature (Romantic)
  • power is mortal
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4
Q

“Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! / Nothing beside remains”

A
  • juxtaposition of both lines highlights the mortality of human power → reinforcing the power of nature as a force
  • capitalisation of “Mighty” is almost blasphemous
  • hubris → fatal pride
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5
Q

“king of kings”

A
  • adds to idea of blasphemy in “Mighty”
  • presents him as a sort of god
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6
Q

“The lone and level sands stretch far away”

A
  • futility of power
  • redundancy of the statue → statue is an example of hubris
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7
Q

Context

A
  • Shelley was a romantic → celebrated nature
  • against the monarchy
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