Ozymandias Flashcards
Who wrote Ozymandias?
Percy Bysshe Shelley
What form does Ozymandias take?
It’s a type of Sonnet
Who is the speaker in the poem?
There are many voices- the traveller, Ozymandias, the poet
What is Ozymandias mainly about?
An arrogant Pharaoh whose statue is destroyed by nature
Name the technique: ‘sneer of cold command’
Alliteration
Name the technique: ‘Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand’
Caesura
Name the technique: ‘My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:’
hyperbole
Name the technique: ‘colossal wreck’
oxymoron
What is the best word to describe the statue?
Dilapidated
What technique is: ‘The heart that fed’
A metaphor
What are themes in the poem?
Pride/Arrogance Man Vs Nature Art and Culture Mortality Domination Power
What famous ruler might the poem be inspired by?
Ramses II
In which country is the statue that the traveller is describing?
Egypt
Who was Percy Bysshe Shelley’s wife?
Mary Shelley
The discovery of monuments by which leader inspired Shelly to write Ozymandias?
Napoleon
‘I met a traveller from an antique land’ - First, second or third person?
First person
‘The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed’ - What is meant by ‘mocked’?
Described
My name is … Look on my works, ye Mighty and despair!’ - What technique is being used here?
Irony
In which period did Percy Bysshe Shelley write Ozymandias?
Romantic period
How can you compare Ozymandias with William Blake’s London?
They both express a dislike for the monarchy and they both deal with the theme of arrogance.
How does Ozymandias differ to William Blake’s London?
One is a sonnet and one is in four quatrains
One is a first hand account and one is a second hand
In Ozymandias, the inscription beneath the statue indicates that the king is…
Arrogant
Boastful
Proud
Which quotation in the poem suggests that the sculptor has satirised (ridiculed) Ozymandias?
“The hand that mocked them…”
What type of poet was Shelley?
A romantic poet
True of False?
Shelley APPROVED of the British monarchy.
False.
Shelley DISAPPROVED of the British monarchy and was radical politically.
What could you suggest the poem is a criticism of?
People who wield (have and use) power in an undemocratic way and rule as a tyrant.
In Ozymandias, what suggests that art, language and literature are more enduring (lasting) than human power?
That nothing remains of Ozymandias except a statue and an inscription
What KEY IDEA does the poem highlight?
The insignificance of humans compared to nature and time
What does the JUXTAPOSITION between “colossal” and “wreck” emphasise?
The contrast between Ozymandias’ former power and the statue’s current state.
What does the CAESURA in line 12 highlight?
How Ozymandias’ power has come to an end.
What is the ruined statue a METAPHOR for?
Political Power
What’s the technique used in the quote “look!” in Ozymandias?
Imperative Verb
Which techniques does Shelley use to portray Ozymandias negatively?
Alliteration
Negative Imagery
Which 2 words does Shelley juxtapose (place next to each other for effect) to emphasise that human power is temporary?
“Colossal” and “Wreck”
What are examples of negative language Shelley uses to portray Ozymandias negatively?
“Wrinkled”
“Sneer”
“Frown”
“Stamped”
Fill in the Gaps:
Shelley does not follow a ______ rhythm or rhyming scheme. This gives the poem a ______ (broken) feel. Shelley does this to reflect Ozymandias’ crumbling power.
Regular, fragmented
What type of poem traditionally is a SONNET? And what does this suggest about the poem?
A love poem - the poet could be making a little joke, pointing to Ozymandias’ love for himself and his ego.
What is the irony of the statue standing in a now “boundless and bare” desert?
Ozymandias commissioned the statue to make sure he was immortalised in people’s memories. But instead he is surrounded by a “boundless and bare” desert and therefore seen by no one.
What is the effect of the poem being a SECOND HAND ACCOUNT?
The speaker has not seen the statue for himself - this highlights how insignificant Ozymandias has now become.
How does the speaker create IRONY in the poem?
The statue
Second hand account
Sonnet form
What is the main irony in Ozymandias?
Ozymandias thinks his power will be immortal but it crumbles
What poems could you compare Ozymandias to on the theme of POWER OF NATURE VS POWER OF HUMANS?
Exposure
Tissue
The Prelude
Storm on the Island
What poems could you compare Ozymandias to on the theme of POWERFUL INDIVIDUALS, MISUSE OF POWER AND CORRUPTION?
My Last Duchess
London
There are many metaphors describing the statue in Ozymandias. The ruined statue is a metaphor for:
Political power
