Ozymandias Flashcards
Give me a short summary of what it is about?
The poem concerns the discovery of a semi-destroyed and decaying statue of Ramesses II, also known as Ozymandias, and shows how power deteriorates and will not last forever.
Give me context about shelly
Shelley was a radical, romantic poet; he was vegetarian, strongly anti-monarchy, a pacifist, an atheist, anti-religion, and supported social justice. He wanted to end the oppression of ordinary people, inspired by the French Revolution
How is romantic era present in the poem?
Shelley often focused focus on the subjective and the emotional, which contrasted with enlightenment values. During the enlightenment, writers would center their work on the beauty of nature and simplicity of the past, with an appreciation of the sublime, the overwhelming power and awe of the natural world. Writers would protest the present/future of mankind by returning to the past, and within their writing repurpose old literary conventions. There was a rejection of institutions of power, and poetry was used to spread messages and political ideas which needed to be accessible to all.
What historical figure influenced shelly?
The first reference is Ramesses II, who was an Egyptian pharaoh from 1279-1239 BC, in fact believed to be the pharaoh involved in Moses’ exodus. He was later defeated by the 12 tribes of Israel, and used the throne name “Ozymandias”. He is the subject of the poem – his statue had just been discovered at Shelley’s time of writing, which made it a very topical piece of content to reference in his poem. Shelley and Horace Smith had been challenged to write a poem about it. Ramesses is remembered for his tyranny and military exploits, had a large empire over Egypt and vassals, as well as being remembered for his defea
What historical figure ruled shelly?
King George III arguably has impact over Shelley’s poem, as his poem written during his reign; he had reigned longer than any king before, but had outstayed his welcome. He engaged in many military conflicts and was remembered for oppression and tyranny – during his rule, the 13 colonies rebelled. Shelley was pacifist and positioned himself against Georges’ military exploits. Some consider George III the inspiration for Ozymandias, who is seen historically as a tyrant.
give me some context on ozymanias?
Ozymandias, which was named after the Egyptian pharaoh, Rameses II. It is thought that Shelley, a radical romantic poet who often criticised society in his works, was making implicit links between Rameses’ powerful but violent rein with that of George III. George III reigned during the time the poem was written, and was generally disliked. George III has been seen historically as a tyrant. The poem engages in these issues of power and conflict through the discussion of a huge statue in the desert, which is of Ozymandias. All of the pharaoh’s works haven’t lasted, and the statue is almost destroyed. This decay reflects how exploits which are impressive but not morally good will be criticised and forgotten about after they end. The poem explores conflict between man and time and memory, as Ozymandias was largely forgotten, even though he thought his memory would last forever. The poem also touches on the power of art and words, as people may not have remembered Ozymandias
Why is the perspective in the poem?
The pronoun “I” is only used once in the poem, right at the start, which shows how little the perspective actually matters. This may be intentionally to disconnect the speaker from Shelley, as he was attempting to impart a political message through his work. Through disguising this as a message from a fictional character he is removing any blame that society may try and pin on him, as the writer.
What does the opening start with and analysis the quote?
i met a traveller from an antique land- The poem begins with “I met a traveller” which Instantly passes any responsibility for the opinions within the poem onto a (probably fictional) stranger. Shelley opens his poem with the detached narrative of a traveller to distance himself from the political messages of his poem. Shelley uses Ozymandias as an allegory for King George III. This shows readers that he’s willing to risk criticism that would have come with this move. This detachment means Shelley is free to comment on the monarchy or religion as he wishes for the rest of the poem because the views expressed are being presented as the views of someone else. Equally, having the poem communicated by reported speech serves to trivialise the reign of Ozymandias.
How does the ryhtme scheme effect the poem?
The irregular rhyme scheme contrasts with the single stanza as the former suggests a lack of power and control of the ruler, whereas the single stanza suggests order. These contrasts could reflect how different groups of people view war and conflict as either beneficial or detrimental to society
Why does shelly use something contrasted with Irregular rytheme scheme?
The poem blends Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets, and Shelley does this in order to demonstrate that all power – even the power of literary conventions – is transient and subject to evolution. However, the irregular rhyme scheme breaks away from the sonnet form which enables Shelley to imply how poetry and literature can defy tradition and give way to new power. He is directly demonstrating that conventions can be changed, replaced and edited. This is a literary attitude characteristic of the romantic poets, who focused their work on defying old ideas be them ideas of rhythm or religion, meter or monarchy
How does shelly use alliteration in the quote colloidal wreck?
Shelley uses alliteration to demonstrate the vast, unending power of the desert, and to contrast and belittle the limited power of man. The statue can be seen as a representation of human power – it is a king’s attempt to evade death and cement himself in history, yet it lies broken as a “colossal wreck”. The statue is stripped of all power as it lies broken on the floor, yet the desert around it remains endless and overwhelming in its size
How does shelly use alliteration in the quote boundless and bare and lone and level?
Shelley describes it as “boundless and bare”, “lone and level”, and this use of alliteration serves to communicate the vast, powerful extent of nature, and its ability to outlive all other forms of power and deem them insignificant by comparison. It also works to present the desert as vast, monotonous and featureless.
How does shelly use consonance in the quote cold command?
The repetition of the harsh “c” sound helps to reflect the callous lack of compassion the king had for his subjects, and how oppressive his rule was. The sound bleeds into the reader’s perception of the king, helping to portray him as aggressive and callous, and also connotes portrays cruelty and aggression. This shows Shelley’s disapproval of military campaigns. The consonance also suggests a use of power for military aims (and indeed, Ramesses II was remembered for his military expansion of Egypt) without any interference from empathy or compassion. This is reflective of Shelley’s own anti-violence stance, as he was against all military exploits and thus also against the “cold commands” that initiate them.
How does shelly use symbolism in the poem?
The use of a desert setting also strips Ozymandias of his legacy. The land surrounding the plaque that boasts of his works is a barren, featureless wasteland, devoid of any culture or life. The emptiness of the desert is symbolic of how his reign was pointless and insignificant as he has been forgotten by history. Instead he has been dwarfed by greater the greater forces of nature and time. Oxymandias has no legacy despite his orders to “look on my works” – they no longer exist. ➔ This has some contextual irony, as Ramesses hoped to expand power and influence of Egypt, but it’s now just a featureless desert and “antique land Sand is often associated with time. Within the poem Shelley uses sand to show how time can erase the power of man. The sand has literally covered over Ozymandias’ statue; the figurative “sands of time” have covered over Ozymandias’ memory. This shows the reader that regardless of how powerful man becomes nature will always prevail. It also shows that everything comes from the earth and everything will return to it.
How does shelly use the fo us of pride in the play?
Overall, Shelley is criticising power. There is a negative semantic field surrounding this theme, including the language: wrinkled / shattered / frown / sunk / sneer. It could be argued that his aim was to make the reader more receptive to ideas about corruption of power when paired with a negative tone. The speaker is criticising Ozymandias and all he represents, including his power and pride, suggesting that those with power are deluded in their belief of the supremacy of their power. The statue is personified and described as sneering, cold and mocking. This is Shelley’s use of dramatic irony, the statue has been broken and forgotten with his legacy and empire having been reduced.
