LIT2 - Poetry - Ozymandias

Question 1

Who wrote Ozymandias? Give some context about the poem:

Answer 1

-Percy Bysshe Shelley (Romantic poet)
-inspired by the powerful Egyptian pharaoh, Ramses the Great
-written during the rule of the British Empire, relating to how power is transient, and warning that the BE wouldn’t last long
-relates the insignificance of man compared to the ravages of time and nature

Question 2

Give 4 good quotes for Ozymandias:

Answer 2

-I met a traveller from an antique land/Who said:
-frown/And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command
-My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:/Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains
-Round the decay/Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,/The lone and level sands stretch far away

Question 3

I met a traveller from an antique land/Who said:

Answer 3

-Ozymandias is reduced to a distant story - a second-hand recollection told by an unnamed traveller, highlighting his unimportance

-uses the detached narrative to hide his true intentions of criticising the monarchy of the British Empire, as Shelley is a Romantic poet who disliked that

Question 4

frown/And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command

Answer 4

-unpleasant sounds from “sneer” and alliterative hard c’s, representing his harsh nature as a heartless ruler
-triplet used to describe him, reinforcing the idea of his immense control over others

Question 5

‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
Nothing beside remains

Answer 5

-commas to slow down pace for a powerful effect
-11 syllables rather than 10, draws attention to his statement where he challenges God, showing his narcissism
-“and despair” is a chilling end to his statement, signifying his inhumane cruelty

-sudden juxtaposition of ideas with “Nothing…” - ironic conclusion to his rule, as he was so confident just before

Question 6

Round the decay/Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,/The lone and level sands stretch far away

Answer 6

-long consonant sounds (“decay…away”) reflect the power and endlessness of nature, and the decline of the ruler
-“lone and level” could represent time metaphorically levelling society - no matter how rich/famous you were, in death we are all equal

Question 7

Describe the structure of Ozymandias:

Answer 7

-frame narrative
-imperfect rhymes and changing rhyme scheme to represent the gradual disintegration of the ruler (eg “stone…frown”)
-caesura emphasises certain ideas (eg “Nothing beside remains.”)