Ozymandias Flashcards
What does the quote “I met a traveler from an antique land” show
-Shelley frames the poem as a story to make it clear that the narrator hasn’t even seen the statue himself, he’s only heard about it
-this emphasises how unimportant Ozymandias is now
What do the words “vast”, “trunkless”, “stone” show
-Emphasises size and stature but also shows that the statue is incomplete
What does the phrase “stand in the desert” show
-The setting suggests an absence of life and vitality
What does the phrase “shatter’d visage” show
-Ironic
-even a powerful human can’t control the damaging effects of time
What does the phrase “sneer of cold command” show
-The sculptor understood the arrogance of the ruler
What do the words “survive” and “lifeless” show
-Having “survive” and “lifeless” on the same line hints at how art can outlast human power, but the ruined statue shows that ultimately art can’t immortalise power
What does the phrase “The hand that mock’d them”
-“Mock” can mean to ridicule
-perhaps the sculptor intended his statue to make fun of ozymandias
What does the phrase “king of kings” shown
-Arrogant and powerful
-he even challenged other rulers
What do the phrase “despair!” Show
-irony
-he tells other rulers to despair because of the size of his work
-but in fact they should despair because their power is temporary
What does the phrase “of that colossal wreck” show
-the ruined statue shows how human achievements are insignificant compared to the passing of time
What do the phrases “boundless and bare”, “stretch far away” show
-The desert is vast and survives far longer than the broken statue
-emphasising the insignificance of the statue and of ozymandias
What does the phrase “lone and level show”
-Alliteration
-emphasises the feeling of empty space in the desert
What is the form of the poem
-sonnet
What is the structure of the poem
-the narrator builds up an image of the statue by focusing on different parts of it in turn
-the poem ends by describing the enormous desert which sums up the insignificance of the statue
What’s the irony in the poem
-There’s nothing left to show for the rulers arrogant boasting
