Ozymandias Flashcards
who wrote Ozymandias?
Percy Shelley
what perspective is Ozymandias written in?
first person
facts about Percy Shelley?
=anti-monarchy
-Romantic poet
-poem is written to criticise the people in power and talks about people ruling as a tyrant
context and meaning of Ozymandias
-Ozymandias- is another name for the ancient Egyption king Ramses II
-The narrator describes him meeting a traveller who tells him about a statue standing in the middle of a desert
-It’s a statue of a king who ruled over a past civilisation. His face is proud and he arrogantly boasts about how powerful he is in an inscription on the statue’s base
-However, the statue has fallen down and crumbled away so that on the ruins remain
describe and analyse the form of Ozymandias
-it uses iambic pentameter, but this is also often disrupted.
-the story is a second-hand account, which distances the reader even further from the dead king
describe and analyse the structure of Ozymandias
The narrator builds an image of the statue by focusing on different parts of it in turn.
-poem is a sonnet, with a turning point at line 9 like a Petrarchan sonnet
-However, it doesn’t follow a regular sonnet rhyme scheme, perhaps reflecting the way that human power and structures can be destroyed.
describe how Shelley uses Irony, analyse and in what quotes
-“shattered visage”, “despair!”, “the hand that mocked them”
-there’s nothing left to show for the ruler’s arrogant boasting or his great civilisation.
-The ruined statue can be seen as a symbol for the temporary nature of political power or human achievement.
-Shelley’s use of irony reflects his hatred of oppression and his belief that it is possible to overturn social and political order.
describe how Shelley uses language of power, analyse and in what quotes
“which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things”
-The poem focuses on the power of Ozymandias, representing human power.
-However, his power has been lost and is only visible due to the power of art.
-Ultimately nature has ruined the statue, showing that nature and time have more power than anything else
describe how Shelley uses angry language, analyse and in what quotations
-“King of Kings:”, “ye Mighty”
-the tyranny of the ruler is suggested through the angry language
what are the 3 main feelings and attitude in Ozymandias and analyse
Pride-the ruler was proud of what he’d achieved. He called on other rulers to admire what he did.
-arrogance- The inscription shows that the ruler believed that he was the most powerful ruler in the land- nobody else could compete with him. He also thought he was better than those he ruled
power- Human civilisations and achievements are insignificant compared to the passing of time. Art has the power to preserve elements of human existence, but it is also temporary.
finish the quote, “I met a traveller from an…
antique land
analyse the quote “I met a traveller from an antique land”
-Shelley frames the poem as a story to make it clear that the narrator hasn’t seen the statue for himself, he’s only heard about it.
-emphasises how unimportant Ozymandias is now
finish the quote, “and wrinkled lip, and sneer of…
cold command
analyse the quote, “and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command”
the sculptor understands the arrogance of the ruler- alliteration adds to the speaker’s distaste towards Ozymandias
finish the quote, “The hand that…
mocked them
analyse the quote, “the hand that mocked them”
“Mock”- can mean to ridicule, or to create a likeness of something- perhaps the sculptor intended his statue to make fun of Ozymandias
finish the quote, “Round the decay, of that..
colossal wreck, boundless and bare”
analyse the quote, “Round the decay, of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare”
the juxtapostion between “Colossal” and “wreck”
-emphasises the contrast between his former power and now how insignificant he is.
