Ozymandias Flashcards
Poet
Percy Shelley
Structure/Form
Ozymandias is a sonnet (a poem of 14 lines), although it doesn’t have the same, simple rhyme scheme or punctuation that most sonnets have. Some lines are split by full stops and the rhyme is irregular at times.
It is written in iambic pentameter, which Shakespeare used widely in his plays and sonnets.
The first line and a half up to the colon are the narrator’s words, the rest are those of the traveller he meets. There are no clear stanzas as such. Instead, it is one, 14-line block of text that is split up with lots of punctuation throughout.
Context
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the English Romantic poets.
Shelley was thought to be a ‘radical’ (different and untraditional in his thinking) for his time. ‘Ozymandias’ is about the remains of a statue of the Egyptian Pharaoh Rameses II who built extravagant temples to himself. Shelley’s criticism of people who act as if they are invincible is evident in the poem.
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies
The adjectives ‘half sunk’ immediately establish the theme of something decreasing or deteriorating- in this case, it is the power and reputation of the ruler Rameses II. The adjective ‘shattered’ creates the image of it being in pieces, rather than one whole thing – it is much weaker and fragile like this. The noun ‘visage’ means face, or metaphorically, identity – the identity of the leader is less than it was, thus the power being temporary.
A sneer of cold command
this image describes how the ruler was seen by others. The noun ‘sneer’ is extremely negative and shows the distance that existed between him and the people. The adjective ‘cold’ has connotations of cold-heartedness and a lack of empathy or warmth – a very unpleasant leader. The alliteration in ‘cold command’ is harsh sounding and reflects his harsh personality.
Shattered, wrinkled, lifeless, decay, wreck
juxtaposed with the semantic field of power, this ongoing theme depicts the idea that all power can be destroyed and links with Shelley’s hatred of arrogant high profile figures.
King of kings
The repetition of the noun ‘kings’ foregrounds the ruler’s arrogance. It is metaphorical – he felt that he was in charge of all others, and that he was at the top. This is ironic as his identity is described as ‘shattered’ now; he was obviously delusional and overwhelmed by his power.
Round the decay/of that colossal wreck
The noun ‘decay’ suggests that the decrease in power has happened over time. It creates the idea that time cannot be overruled – it is something more powerful than the ruler ever was once. The adjective ‘colossal’ highlights exactly how powerful the leader once was, and the noun ‘wreck’ implies that the power is now non-existent; it is a memory and nothing more.
I met a traveller from an antique land
First person perspective: The poem is the speaker reciting what he has been told from a ‘traveller’ he met in the desert. This second hand story could arguably link to Shelley’s view of highly arrogant authoritative figures who feel that their reputation and power will always exist. This distance narrative furthers the speaker from the high profile figure.
