ozymandias Flashcards
what things can be said about ‘wrinkled lips and sneer of cold command’
noun phrase: ‘wrinkled lips’
verb : ‘sneer’ and writers intention
alliterative phrase: ‘cold command’
alliteration in ‘cold command’
‘wrinkled lips’
conjures the image of someone grimacing their lip in disgust which could reflect how ozymandias was disgusted by the people he deemed beneath him and it also displays the kings disregard for others- viewing them as inferior which demonstrates his harsh and unpleasant behaviour and emphasises his arrogance and how he feels immense superiority.
‘sneer’
verb: connotes maliciousness and heartlessness which presents his arrogance and sense of superiority. this presents him as a tyrant. shelley may have done this to contrast the broken statue to demonstrate how democracy will always be the better way to rule, not tyranny
‘cold command’
- he’s a ruler who ‘commands’ but he does it coldly showing he was unemotional in the way he ruled and was unfeeling towards his subjects- he doesn’t care about others.
- noun ‘command’ shows his inhumane nature as he orders people around- shows how he has control and power over people.
- alliterative ‘c’ sound creates a plosive and harsh tone which reflects how he was harsh and unfeeling towards his subjects (he even goes as far to have ‘stamped on the lifeless things’)
what can be said about
‘lone and level sands’
- irony
- power of nature
- politically level
‘lone and level sands’
- ironic how ozymandias built this statue to immortalise himself as he strongly believed in his own power and superiority and he used this statue to present his greatness but now the ‘shattered visage lies’ and the sands are ‘lone’ and ‘level’ that ‘stretch far away’- demonstrating how he has now been forgotten and destroyed by time but it also demonstrates how human power is transitory and will always be overpowered by nature and time
- his kingdom is no longer there as nature has taken over which emphasises the emptiness and how the desert outlives the statue.- there’s no sign of his legacy that he worked so hard to build.
- when we are politically ‘level’ we are all equal and have a voice which further emphasises how tyranny must be replaced by democracy- it will always triumph
what can be said about
‘look on my works ye mighty and despair’
- what hes referring to
- ‘mighty’
- ‘look’ and ‘despair’
‘look on my works ye mighty and despair’
-referring to his life’s work and things he believes he has achieved through his reign symbolised by this statue.
- noun ‘mighty’ demonstrates how he even wants other rulers and leaders to look up to him and admire him, emphasising his immense greed for power
- verbs ‘look’ and ‘despair’- show command and aggression even after his death. while this may show power, it can alternatively (and ironically) show great insecurity as ozymandias is almost begging for people to remember him and this exposes the discomfort he has around death as he’s unable to relinquish his power. shelley may have done this to mock those that believe themselves to be so ‘mighty’ and tyrants. they fail to realise their power after death will be nothing, their power will fade away just like the ‘colossal wreck’ of the statue
‘i met a traveller’
- Shelley is detaching himself from the story which allows him to discreetly attack the british monarchy without facing blame and criticism from society (as the poem criticises king george III) because the views are being presented as someone else’s
- shelley uses ozymandias as an allegory for the king
what can be said about
‘king of kings’
- biblical reference
- how ozymandias views himself
- 2 things the poem is criticising
- alliterative ‘k’
‘king of kings’
- biblical reference demonstrates shelley’s criticism of religion (poet in the romantic era)
- title of ‘king of kings’ is given to god suggesting ozymandias sees him self as god like.
- the poem could also be seen as a criticism of church and organised religion and not just of an egyptian monarch. shelley is trying to suggest that the power of the church will one day crumble, like the statue
- hard alliterative ‘k’ sound creates harsh and aggressive tone- indicating the cruelty of ozymandias
- poem is criticising tyrannical leaders which allows us to draw parallels to shelley’s dislike of imposed control by those in power
what period of time was the poem written in?
romantic period
they wrote against religion and political control
what is the form and what is the effect?
written in a sonnet- highlights how ozymandias is in love with himself
but its also ironic how its a sonnet which is usually about love but ozymandias has no love or respect for anyone
what is the effect of the rhyme scheme being inconsistent?
- shows the lack of power and control of ozymandias
- reinforces the fact that power is transitory and it changes over time as the rhyme scheme is always changing as the poem progresses
- suggesting that human power is open to change, despite the fact that those who own it feel invincible- shelley is warning king george III
structure?
- enjambment- ‘antique land/ who said’ contrasts the tight one stanza the poem is structured in. this may be shelley commenting on the illusion of freedom under a tyrants reign as all the enjambment in the poem is still constrained but alternatively it may also be shelley commenting on the human desire to be free despite constraints placed on them by oppressive leaders.
