Ozymandias Flashcards
these words at the beginning show how far removed the reader is from this old land
traveller…antique
first narrative voice introduced, leads onto second
I met…Who said
the statue is very large but has fallen apart, it is in a barren area
vast and trunkless legs of stone/Stand in the desert
the head of the statue has fallen off, shows that time in the desert destroys even the mightiest statues
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies
this language is used to convey how cold and emotionless the statue is, how it once held power. consonance used to emphasise cruelty
frown…wrinkled lip…sneer of cold command
despite the sculptor being long gone, the fruits of their labour lives on in the form of this statue, all that there is to remember the past’s power
sculptor…Which yet survive
double entendre as this word could be that a mere mortal made the statue but also that the king may have literally ridiculed the people
The hand that mocked them
contrasts previous statement that the king also supplied all his people
heart that fed
the statue was erected to celebrate achievement and power
pedestal
third narrative voice, biblical reference to king, shows the king believed he had divine right
My name is Ozymandias, king of kings
king is asking people to bow down and fear him
Look on my works, ye Mighty and despair!
irony as all that is left is the statue, shows time passes on
Nothing beside remains
the statue has lost its grandeur over time
Decay
all great things come to an end and get destroyed
colossal wreck
alliteration emphasises the irony of the situation, everything that once was, is gone
boundless and bare
more alliteration shows that the statue is a small remnants in a massive desert
lone and level.
the sand goes to the horizon, it is infinite
far away
what is this poem actually about
Pharoah Ramesses II who was pharoah around the time of Moses
who was Ramesses similar to
George III of England as they both held succesful military campaigns
What Uni did Shelley go to?
Oxford and he got expelled for being an atheist
how did the poet die
he drowned on his way to Italy
What were his views
he was a pacifist and vegetarian
how successful was he
very unsuccessful in his life but now is considered one of the greats
What could this poem be considered
an attack on Christianity as it explores how power fades
Symbols of power become what?
monuments for the next civilisation for example this is now in the British museum
