Ozymandias Flashcards
introduction
- The sonnet explores the transient nature of power and the futility of human achievements, regardless of how mighty or tyrannical the ruler may be.
- Using the imagery of a crumbling statue in the desert, Shelley illustrates that even the most imposing empires and their leaders are subject to the ravages of time.
- The poem suggests that nature ultimately triumphs over human ambition and power.
form
- sonnet
- iambic pentameter
- irregular rhyme scheme breaks away from the sonnet form, enabling Shelley to imply how poetry and literature can defy tradition and give way to new power
structure
- enjambment - creates an uneven pattern reflecting the broken nature of the statue, as well as suggesting impermanence
- caesura marked by the ellipsis to represent the breaking up of the statue
- contrast between octet and sestet
finish the quote: ‘cold..
…command’
‘cold command’
- consonance
- amplifies Ozymandias’ harshness
rhyme scheme
- atypical rhyme
- could be shelley acknowledging that everything fades in the end
- even poetic tradition
finish the quote: ‘boundless..
..and bare’
finish the quote: ‘lone and…
..level’
finish the quote: ‘sands…
…stretch far away’
‘boundless and bare’
‘lone and level’
‘sands stretch far away’
- alliteration
- echo
- emphasises the sense of vast emptiness
- contrasts the limited power of man
form of poem
- mostly a sonnet
- 14 lines
- love poem
‘my name is Ozymandias, king of kings:’
- 10th line
- an exception to iambic pentameter
- talking about himself
- arrogant
finish the quote: ‘vast and..
…trunkless legs of stone’
‘vast and trunkless legs of stone’
- Ozymandias was originally powerful and sturdy, but is now weak and broken
finish the quote: ‘shattered..
…visage’
‘shattered visage’
- statue’s broken face suggests that no person, not even Ozymandias has long lasting power
‘colossal power wreck’
- despite Ozymandias’ arrogance, his empire has crumbled
title of poem - Ozymandias
- naming a poem after a person implies power/arrogance
- Ozy - comes from Greek ‘Ozium’ = ‘to breathe’ or ‘air’
- Mandias - Greek - ‘mandate’ - to rule
- his name suggests that it is natural for him to rule
finish the quote: ‘I met…
..a traveller..’
finish the quote: ‘who..
..said’
‘I met a traveller…’
‘who said’
- by framing the poem as the story within a poem, a sense of distance is created between the reader and Ozymandias - he isn’t as powerful or famous as he thought he would have been
finish the quote: ‘which yet survive..
…stamped on these lifeless things’
‘which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things’
- the contrast between ‘survive’ and ‘lifeless’ reminds the reader that Ozymandias is dead, and his legacy almost is too
finish the quote: ‘look..
..on my works’
‘look’
- imperative implies Ozymandias is arrogant, especially as he is commanding
finish the quote : ‘king..
..of kings’
finish the quote: ‘ye..
..Mighty’
‘king of kings’
‘ye mighty’
- religious language implies arrogance
- Ozymandias thinks he is better than God
finish the quote: ‘And on the..
..pedestal these words appear’
‘And on the pedestal these words appear’
- ‘pedestal’ - connotations of power and authority
- Ozymandias once he has this
finish the quote : ‘The hand…
..that mocked them’
‘mocked’
- Ozymandias is presented in a negative way
- Shelley may have wanted to show that authority can corrupt people, perhaps inspired by his own political beliefs or family relationships
finish the quote: ‘from an..
…antique land’
‘antique’
- connotations of being old, outdated and fragile
- it suggests that Ozymandias’ land is no longer relevant, indicating that he is not as powerful or famous as he thought he would have been
finish the quote: ‘Look on my works…
…ye Mighty, and despair!’
‘despair!’
- feels superior highlighting his arrogance
mood and tone
- negative - Ozymandias - ‘frown’
- sense of desolation - ‘sands stretch far away’
key quotations for the power of nature
“boundless and bare”
“sands stretch far away”
“Round the decay/Of that colossal Wreck”
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR THE POWER OF NATURE
“boundless and bare”
“sands stretch far away”
“Round the decay/Of that colossal Wreck”
This communicates the vast, powerful extent of nature and its ability to outlive all other forms of power. The alliteration alludes to both an emptiness and vastness
Sibilance suggests the passing of time and how it can erase the power of man. The unending power of the desert is juxtaposed with the limited power of man: while Ozymandias’ works have crumbled, the desert endures
The phrase “colossal Wreck” juxtaposes the statue’s former grandeur with its current state of destruction and symbolises the inevitable fall of even the mightiest of empires
key quotations for the passage of time
“Nothing beside remains”
“I met a traveller from an antique land”
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR THE PASSAGE OF TIME
The shortness and brevity of the sentence symbolises the finality of death and decay. “Nothing” evokes an emptiness
The opening line immediately establishes a temporal distance with “antique” suggesting an ancient and perhaps long-forgotten civilisation. It underscores the vast span of time between the height of Ozymandias’ power and the present
key quotations for the corruption of power
“colossal Wreck”
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR THE CORRUPTION OF POWER
“colossal Wreck”
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”
key quotations for the arrogance of man
“look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:”
“sneer of cold command”
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR THE ARROGANCE OF MAN
“look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:”
“sneer of cold command”
The imperative “look on” shows the king’s arrogance and the verb “despair” conveys his brutal power. The capitalisation of “Works” elevates the importance of his achievements and the exclamation intensifies the commanding tone
The epithet “king of kings” conveys his belief in his supreme power and authority. The colon at the end creates a pause which builds anticipation for his following command.
Alliteration and sensory language portray Ozymandias’ arrogant and tyrannical nature. The word “sneer” suggests contempt and superiority while “cold” denotes his ruthlessness
