Ozymandias Flashcards
Who wrote ozymandias?
Percy Bysshe Shelley
What is the opening line of the poem, which is used to frame the poem as a story to make it clear that the narrator hasn’t seen the statue himself and that he has only heard about it - emphasising ozymandias’ unimportance?
“I met a traveller from antique land’
What does “vast” “trunkless” and stone” emphasise?
The size and stature but also shows that the statue is incomplete
What quotation suggests an absence of life and vitality?
“Stand in the desert”
What quotation is ironic - that even a powerful human can’t control the damaging effects of time?
“shatter’d visage”
What quotation shows the sculptor understood the arrogance of the ruler? (Alliteration)
“sneer of cold command”
What do “survive” and “lifeless” suggest?
Hints at how art can outlast human power but the ruined statue shows that ultimately art can’t immortalise power.
What quotation suggests that the sculpture intended his statue to make fun of Ozymandias?
“the hand that mock’d them”
What quotation emphasises the arrogance and power of Ozymandias as he challenged other rulers?
“King of Kings”
What stressed syllable is used to heighten Ozymandias’ tone of command?
“Look”
Why is the verb “despair” ironic?
Because he tells other rulers to despair because of the size and grandeur of his works. But in fact they should despair because their power is temporary and ultimately unimportant, like his
What does the quotation “the decay of that colossal wreck” suggest?
The ruined statue shows how human achievements are insignificant compared to the passing of time
What phrases use alliteration to emphasise the feeling of empty space in the surrounding desert?
“boundless and bare” “lone and level”
What does the quotation “stretch far away” emphasise?
The desert is vast and survives for loner than the broken statue, emphasising the insignificance of the statue and of Ozymandias
What is the context of Ozymandias?
- Shelley disliked monarchies. His radical political views were inspired by the events of the French Revolution
- Based on Rameses ll
- Romanticism had a big influence on art and literature. They focused on the power of nature
