Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley Flashcards
‘cold command’ + ‘king of kings’
The alliteration creates a harsh sound which helps to depict Ozymandias as a tyrannise cruel leader. as its being told by the speaker it sounds sarcastic and full of irony as the statue is ruined and decaying
‘from an antique land’
the use of the noun antique suggest the place is old but still holds value
‘trunkless’
the use of this adjective suggest that the statue is barely standing because it has been weathered by nature
weak and vulnerable - contrast to how the ruler is described
‘shattered visage’
broken face, it is still unrecognisable a statue of someone but we can no longer tell who it is of, it has no purpose anymore
Contextually, what is significant about Shelley’s choice of theme in the poem ‘Ozymandias’?
There was a renewed interest in Egypt at the time. This is why Shelley chose this theme.
What is unusual about the sonnet ‘Ozymandias’?
This sonnet is a mixture of two sonnet styles: Petrarchan and Shakespearean.
How are Shelley’s personal views reflected in the poem ‘Ozymandias’?
Shelley was well known as a political radical which is reflected in his presentation of Ozymandias.
‘on the sand, / Half sunk a shattered visage lies’.
The verbs ‘sunk’ and ‘shattered’ demonstrate how nature has eroded human power turning the most powerful ruler to dust.
‘Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
The imperatives in this quotation are representative of Ozymandias’s commanding nature. It is ironic that he wants people to view his statue in fear and ‘despair’ when there is now no one in the desert.
explanation of the speaker in the poem
Most of the poem is spoken from the perspective of a traveller. Shelley has done this so the reader envisages what the traveller sees: the desolate surroundings of the crumbling statue.
enjambment
re enforces that we are hearing a story. prose like, natural speech.
iambic pentameter
we are being told a story, natural speech
