Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley

Question 1

OZYMANDIAS - STRUCTURE

Answer 1

• Written in sonnet form; sonnets were generally romantic or love poems, perhaps this being a love poem about Ozymandias, a joke about the ruler’s ego.
• The rhyme scheme is irregular, perhaps symbolic of the broken statue itself; no longer perfect.

Question 2

OZYMANDIAS - CONTEXT

Answer 2

• written in 1819, inspired by the recent unearthing of part of a large statue of an Egyptian Pharaoh, Ramesses II.
• Pharoahs like Ramesses believed themselves to be gods in mortal form and that their legacy would last forever.
• The reference to the stone statue is likely a direct reference to the statues and sculptures like the one which was unearthed.

Question 3

OZYMANDIAS - AUTHOR

Answer 3

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Question 4

OZYMANDIAS - KEY IDEAS

Answer 4

• An ironic memorial to the ego of an ancient Pharoah.
  -The statue is an allegory for the eventual end of power that everyone must suffer; especially the proud.
• Power, like the statue. is lost to the sans which in turn represent time.

Question 5

OZYMANDIAS - KEY QUOTES

Answer 5

“shattered visage”
“sneer of cold command”
“the hand that mocked them”
“lone and level sands stretch far away”

Question 6

Analysis - “shattered visage”

Answer 6

• his face is unrecognisable; Ozymandias has no purpose anymore.
• “shattered” hints at the power of nature; the statue has not just been worn away but completely destroyed.

Question 7

Analysis - “sneer of cold command”

Answer 7

• “cold command” alliteration; harsh sounds creating an aggressive tone which matches our impression of Ozymandias’ cruel nature.
• presents Ozymandias’ character as powerful and arrogant.
• Ironic now that there is nothing left of his reign.

Question 8

Analysis - “the hand that mocked them”

Answer 8

• pun; the double meaning of the word “mock” meaning both to make a model of but also to make fun of.
• exaggerates the irony of Ozymandias’ arrogance when we know (and perhaps the sculptor knows) it is only temporary.

Question 9

Analysis - “lone and level sands stretch far away”

Answer 9

• The lone and level sands our last the statue, juxtaposed to the power and ego of the statue.
• The sands are symbolic of time; they eventually wear away human power and creations.