Ozymandias Flashcards
Summary of Ozymandias
Ozymandias was written by the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1817. It explores the idea that all power is temporary, no matter how powerful or tyrannical the ruler is, and that ultimately nature is more powerful than any human power.
Lines 1-2
“I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said -”
Translation
The poem begins in the first person, but then instantly passes any responsibility for the opinions within the poem on to a stranger
The narrator meets an unnamed traveller, and the poem is then recounted from the perspective of this stranger
Shelley’s intention
Shelley was anti-monarchy and felt that the king at the time of writing, King George III, had outstayed his welcome
Shelley probably wanted to distance himself from the political messages of the poem, so he opened his poem with the detached narrative of a traveller
Shelley also used Ozymandias as an allegory for King George III. The detached narrator meant that Shelley was free to comment on the monarchy as he wished because the views were being presented as the views of someone else
Lines 2-5
“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert…Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,”
Translation
The traveller then tells of a ruined statue standing in the middle of the desert
The statue is of a king, Ramesses II, also known as Ozymandias, who ruled over a once-great Egyptian civilisation
Only the legs and the enormous face (the “ visage ”) remain
The traveller only describes the mouth, with a “frown”, “wrinkled lip” and “sneer of cold command”
Shelley’s intention
Shelley is commenting that all that remains of this great and powerful ruler are legs and a “shattered” visage, which creates a sense of irony:
This is ironic because Ozymandias’s power and pride were based on his image of being a great and powerful ruler, and yet now all that remains are broken parts of a statue
The poem portrays a king who believed strongly in his own power and superiority, and who tried to immortalise his power through his statue
The “frown”, “wrinkled lip” and “sneer” of cold command suggest the cruelty and heartlessness of the ruler, who was arrogant and had nothing but contempt for his subjects:
This is reflective of Shelley’s own anti-military and anti-monarchy stance
Yet this statue has now been destroyed by time, and the king has largely forgotten
Lines 6-8
“Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;”
Translation
The reader then learns of the sculptor, who “well those passions read”, meaning that he could see beneath Ozymandias’s cold, commanding exterior to his passionate rage to “stamp” himself on the world
When the poet refers to “The hand that mocked them”, he is implying that the sculptor knew Ozymandias’s true and ultimately futile nature
The sculptor created the statue in a way that portrayed the cruelty of the king
Shelley’s intention
The poem presents negative views about the power used to impose will
It also comments on the arrogance and pride that can come from the type of tyrannical power in which the ruler wishes only to be known for his perceived greatness
Lines 9-11
“And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Translation
There is an inscription on the base of the statue, with the arrogant claim that he is “King of Kings”
The inscription invites everyone, especially his “Mighty” enemies, to look at what he has achieved as a ruler, and to know that he believes that he is all-powerful and cannot be defeated
Shelley’s intention
The irony here is that the statue is falling apart and decaying so that only the ruins remain
The poet is showing how power deteriorates and does not last forever:
Even great empires which seem to be eternal can fade to nothingness
Lines 12-14
“Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
Translation
The ruins of the enormous statue lie alone in an endless, featureless desert
Shelley’s intention
The power of the natural world is also evident in this poem
Sand and the desert are used as a metaphor for the passing of time:
They also suggest the impermanence of human constructions against the ultimate power of nature
Exam tip 1
Your exam question will ask you to compare how poets present ideas about power and/or conflict in the poem given to you on the exam paper and one other from the Power and Conflict anthology. It is therefore a good idea to begin your answer using the wording of the question and summarising what the poem tells us about the nature of power. This demonstrates that you have understood the poem and the poet’s intention. For example, “Shelley presents negative ideas about power and its effects in Ozymandias by suggesting that, no matter how powerful the ruler, power deteriorates and does not last forever. Similar themes can be found in…”
Form of Ozymandias
The poem is written in the form of a 14-line sonnet, which blends both Petrarchan and Shakespearean forms, in order to comment on human power and pride
Structure of Ozymandias
Shelley uses the structure of Ozymandias to comment on the temporary nature of all human power when compared to the power of God or nature
Language of Ozymandias
Shelley uses his choice of techniques and language to compare the ultimately futile nature of human power on the one hand with the overwhelming and everlasting power of nature on the other
Similarities:
Ozymandias and MLD
Both Ozymandias and My Last Duchess criticise the corruption of power by excessively prideful individuals and explore how, ultimately, this pride and power is undermined by forces more powerful than themselves
Both poems show the effects of power and how it corrupts, as well as how power can be undermined
Both poets are concerned with how, in the wrong hands, power corrupts and how rulers are excessively prideful
Similarities:
Ozymandias and MLD
Both Ozymandias and My Last Duchess criticise the corruption of power by excessively prideful individuals and explore how, ultimately, this pride and power is undermined by forces more powerful than themselves
Both poems show the effects of power and how it corrupts, as well as how power can be undermined
Both poets are concerned with how, in the wrong hands, power corrupts and how rulers are excessively prideful
Differences:
Ozymandias and MLD
While both poets suggest that pride and power lead to oppression, the subjects of the oppression are different in each poem.
Similarities:
Ozymandias and London
Both poems show that, despite human achievement and progress, nature will always be more powerful than humankind
Differences:
Ozymandias and London
Whereas Shelley is warning against individual arrogance and pride, Blake is commenting on the state of all people who live in London, and the systems that create oppression
