Ozymandias Flashcards
Who wrote Ozymandias?
Percy Shelley
Who was King of England when Shelley wrote Ozymandias?
King George III
What was King George III doing that Shelley thought was wrong?
He was involved in many military conflicts around the world (Shelley was a pacifist)
What ruler was also known as Ozymandias?
The Egyptian Pharoah - Rameses II
What’s the link between Ozymandias and King George III?
They both led many battles
What is the main idea of the poem seen to be about?
How the might and power of leaders doesn’t last but art does (power of nature) = Could be an attack on politics or religion.
What’s the structure of the poem? And through Shelley slightly changing the traditional way of that what does it show?
Sonnet (14 lines). He almost created his own sonnet form showing like how power can change and move so can the sonnet.
What are the 3 key themes?
Power (of nature) , Time, Arrogance
‘_____ of ____ command’
‘Sneer of cold command’
- noun sneer depicts th condescending and arrogant look on Ozymandias’s face
- alliteration
- Ironic as he’s looking down on everyone as if he’s better than them but now look what’s happened to him = nature outlasts
‘Look on __ _____, __ mighty and ______!’
‘Look on my works ye mighty and despair!’
- Futile (useless) threat of power
- ‘Despair’ = ironic as art lasts not power
‘________ wreck, boundless __ ____’
‘colossal wreck, boundless and bare’
- ‘boundless’ ‘bare’ = plosive alliteration
- Shows the vast expanse of the desert surrounding the statue = outruns and outlasts power and leaders
‘____ and _____ sands stretch ___ ____’
‘lone and level sands stretch far away’
- alliteration shows image of eternity
- Desert outlives the stature, statue outlives the leader = power of nature. Leader is ultimately irrelevant once they die everything is undone
- Power and status is temporary no matter how much pride you have
- Romantics believed in natures power over man
What language method is used throughout the whole poem?
The whole poem is one big metaphor/an extended metaphor
