ozymandias

Question 1

who wrote ozymandias

Answer 1

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Question 2

what is the people about

Answer 2

narrator meets a traveller, tells him about the statue standing in the middle of the desert, statue is of a king who used to rule (he looks arrogant and boastful) but the statue has fallen away and is now in ruins

Question 3

form

Answer 3

sonnet with a volta at line 9

Question 4

structure

Answer 4

narrator builds up an image of the statue by focusing on different parts in turn

Question 5

language

Answer 5

power - power of ozymandias (human power)
power of nature - nature ruined the statue, nature and time have more power than anyone else
angry - tyranny of the ruler suggested aggressive language

Question 6

what were the 3 attitudes attached to the poem

Answer 6

pride - ruler was proud of what he achieved
arrogance - inscription showed ruler believed he was the most powerful ruler
power - humans are insignificant compared to the passing of time

Question 7

context of the poem

Answer 7

Shelley disliked monarchy, absolute power and oppression, his radical political views were inspired by the events of the French Revolution, where the monarchy was overthrown.
Shelley was a romantic poet, emotion rather than reason, particularly focused on power of nature

Question 8

finish the quote + analysis: ‘I met a traveller…

Answer 8

from an antique land’

• frames the poem to make story clear that the narrator hasn’t even seen the statue himself, he’s only heard about it. This shows how unimportant Ozymandias is now

Question 9

finish the quote + analysis: ‘vast and trunkless…

Answer 9

legs of stone’

• emphasises size and stature but also shows that the statue is incomplete

Question 10

finish the quote + analysis: ‘stand…

Answer 10

in the desert’

• setting : absence of life and vitality

Question 11

finish the quote + analysis: ‘shatter’d…

Answer 11

visage’

• ironic : even more powerful human can’t control the damaging effects of time

Question 12

finish the quote + analysis: ‘sneer of…

Answer 12

cold command’

• sculptor understood the arrogance of the ruler

Question 13

finish the quote + analysis: ‘the hand…

Answer 13

that mock’d them’

• ‘mock’ : ridicule - sculptor made the statue to make fun of ozymandias

Question 14

finish the quote + analysis: ‘king…

Answer 14

of kings’

• arrogant and powerful - challenged other rulers

Question 15

finish the quote + analysis: ‘look on my works..

Answer 15

,ye mighty, and despair’

• look : imperative : tone of command
• ye mighty : arrogance
• despair : irony : rulers should despair due to the size of his works but infact they should despair their power is temporary and unimportant, like his

Question 16

finish the quote + analysis: ‘colossal…

Answer 16

wreck’

• ruined statue, human achievements are insignificant compared to time

Question 17

finish the quote + analysis: ‘boundless..

Answer 17

and bare’

• desert is vast and survives longer than the broken statue - insignificant statue