ozymandias Flashcards
what is the content of the poem?
the narrator recalls a time when he met a traveller who told him the tale of a ruined statue that lies in the middle of a desert
it had no body to it- all that was left was its colossal legs and broken remains of head and face
was a statue of the ancient king (ozymandias)- arrogant- the sculptor had captured that on his face
the statue is now wrecked- the power of man is finite- nature is infinite
what is the form of the poem?
a sonnet- not filled with love
what rhyme scheme does it have?
does not follow the regular rhyme scheme of a sonnet
is there any order in this poem?
has a semblance of order to it- falters on words like frowns- power isn’t perfect and all human structures even poetry can fall or be deconstructed by others
what is the iambic pentameter like?
it breaks at line 10 (my name is ozymandias, king of kings)
brought under control immediately- nature constrains man over time and art is more powerful than tyranny
what does the faltering of the iambic pentameter suggest?
ozymandias is trying to gain control again- disruption of the natural order
the iambic pentameter occurs again straight after- shows nature will reign supreme and take the lead from humans
how many voices are there in the poem?
3- the traveller, the narrator and Ozymandias
what is the main voice in the poem?
the traveller- it dominates and at the start establishes the size and magnitude of the statue but also its death and decay
when is the voice of Ozymandias established?
interrupts for 2 lines- asserts some dominance and authority from the grave
how does the poem end?
with a description of the huge and empty desert- emphasising the irony of the words- nature is the great leveller and punisher
what are the final 3 lines of the poem?
“round the decay/ of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
the lone and level sands stretch far away
what does Ozymandias say in the poem?
“My name is Ozymandias, king of Kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty and despair!
what does using language to represent the scale/ size do for the poem?
represents the arrogance of the ruler and the superiority of nature in reality
what does irony do in the poem?
temporary nature of political power and Shelley’s own belief that it was possible to overturn political status- like how the statue is overturned
how does the poem read?
more like a story than a poem- the line rhymes help to remind the reader it is not prose
what is the poem about?
the futility of human actions and the power of nature- shows how Ozymandias was prone to impermanence and decay
what point of view does the poem have?
1st person
when is enjambement used?
lines 2 to 8
what themes are there in the poem?
themes of impermanence, power, fate and the inevitability of rulers’ fall
what is a central theme in the poem about man’s power?
no matter how hard a man tries to rivet his name, people will forget him- Ozymandias tried to be greater than God- “King of Kings”
every ambitious leader forgot about the inevitable human nature- every living thing must die
what is the tone like in the poem?
“two vast and trunkless legs of stone”- both fear and pity in the readers’ hearts
what does the size of the statue make us wonder?
makes us wonder about the greatness and power of the ruler
why might readers take pity on the decaying depiction of the statue?
makes them think about the nature of human achievement
what is the tone like by the end of the poem?
softens by the end- the speaker sympathises with the faded glory of Ozymandias- emotionally speaks about the inevitability of death
is there an extended metaphor in the poem?
yes- and it is made even more commanding by Shelley’s use of an actual ruler
he uses the allusion of an Egyptian powerful ruler to show someone so powerful will eventually fall
what is the rhyme scheme like?
ABABACDC EDEFEF
how is the poem different to other Petrarchan sonnets?
the rhyme scheme is not the same
why the poem is so memorable- represents the corruption of authority- brings awareness to it
what are some examples of the extended metaphor?
the title- Ozymandias
“sneer of cold command”
“colossal wreck”
how does the poem begin?
“I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said- “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone”
what does the line “stand in the desert” show?
the statue still boasts of the accomplishments in the past
what does the line “sneer of cold command” show?
he was a great and powerful leader but could also be very vicious
what does the line “sneer of cold command” compare Ozymandias to?
ruler’s contempt for his subjugates is compared to the ruthlessness of a military commander
what does the line “which yet survive” show?
it is an end to living beings- art is eternal
“near them, on the sand….
half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown, and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command”
“the hand…
that mocked them, and the hand that fed”
what is the hand an example of?
dichotomy
what does the hand and heart allude to?
the pharoah mocked his people, yet his heart was not that bad- he fed and cared for his people
perhaps alludes to the idea of the pharoah deep down being a good man, but the power he has gained has gone to his head and so now he treats everyone poorly
what does the hand and heart collectively hint to?
they hint at the pharaoh as a whole- is an example of synecdoche
what does the “king of kings” allude to?
the actual inscription described in the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus’s Bibliotheca historica
what does the line “My name is Ozymandias, king of Kings reflect upon?
his personality- his hubris
what words show the traveller is mocking the reader?
“decay” and “boundless” and “bare”
“round the decay of that colossal wreck..
boundless and bare
the lone and level sands stretch far away”
what does the line “round the decay of that colossal wreck….” show?
the leader is gone and so is his empire- irony to show even the broken statue remains- the leaders civilisation does not- it has fallen- like the statue and turned to dust
what is the line that shows the use of setting?
“the lone and level sands”
what do “the lone and level sands” represent?
desert represents the fall of all empires- nothing powerful and rich can stay that strong forever
nothing is growing- the land is barren
