Ozymandias Flashcards
Context
-wrote ozymandias during rein of king george the third,who was involved in many conflicts which shelly hated as he was a pacifist
-he felt a revolution was needed to overthrow the oppressive monarchical government
-shelly was a second generation romantic poet
-ramesses(ozymandias)was a ruler who led many battles to take new land symbolising king george the third or napoleon
themes
-those in power are deluded in the belief that their power is supreme and invincible
-shelly is saying that the might and power of leaders does not last but art and nature does
language structure and form
-sonnet,genre of love poem
-first 8 lines(octave) pose a problem which the last six lines(sestet) solve
-line 9 is a volta which brings about the move to resolution
-ozymandias is a mixture of the petrarchan and shakespearean sonnet and a new sonnet,using form to suggest that all power gives way to new power,nothing remains for ever,not even the form of the sonnet
“i met a traveller from an antique land”
-shelly is distancing himself in time and space by detaching himself from the story bring told
-he is showing that the poem is not an open criticism of the british monarchy,however it is a thinly veiled attack
-doesn’t want to portray himself as unpatriotic
-“antique” shows that the thirst for power and rulers in ans old as history,making a political point that we can move towards a more democratic future
“wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command”
-wrinkled, we associate with age giving us an idea that the power was already on its way out, eben know he felt at his most powerful when he had the statue made his power was still slipping away
-he is making a wider point that even when we seem all powerful its just a moment away, this is exactly what happened with napoleon
-sneer, shows our rulers rule over us with contempt,they have no sympathy and care for us
-alliteration of the harsh “c” emphasises how emotionless and cold our rulers our
“the hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed”
-descries ozymandias himself whilst also describing the sculptor
-volta(turning point)
-the hand that mocked them is a reference to ozymandias and how he waves to his crowds as their ruler in such a way as they are inferior to him
-the heart that fed shows us that he is giving his own people nothing,this is ironic as the people are crying out for emotional or physical feeding but he is denying it showing him as cold hearted
-the artwork is all that is left of ozymandias, artwork,nature is far more powerful then political power
-the hand is the hand of the sculptor, he has brought out the true feelings ozymandias has so his people can see him as he truly is
“look on my works,ye mighty and despair”
-ozymandias is hoping that everyone who saw the statue and everything around it would despair at how wonderful it was,ironically nothing is left
-“my works” is a reference to the artist,ironically ozymandias intended this to be a celebration of himself,it is now of the artist and now the mighty person who despairs is ozymandias because he is no longer mighty but the artist is
5 key quotations
-“of that colossal wreck”
-“look at my works,ye mighty and despair”
-“the hand that mocked them,and the heart that fed”
-“winkled lip and sneer of cold command”
-“i met a traveller from an antique land”
“of that colossal wreck”
-allusion references the colossus of rhodes
-there was no remain of the colossus of rhodes
-he is suggesting that even the most mighty symbols of power get destroyed over time
-also we still know about the colossus of rhodes, the idea of it as a work of art still lives on,once again shelly is pointing to the power of art
