'ozymandias' - percy bysshe shelley

Question 1

what is the context of the poet of ‘ozymandias’?

Answer 1

• was expelled from Oxford Uni for promoting atheist views. he was also heavily bullied, leading to him ‘retreating into his imagination’.
• had troubled relationship with parents (especially for being expelled), especially with his father, who was a member of parliament. he therefore had a negative view of authority figures.
• his parents rejected his beliefs, such as vegetarianism, political radicalism, and sexual freedom. political views partly inspired by french revolution - ordinary people overthrew those in power.

Question 2

what is the context of ‘ozymandias’ itself?

Answer 2

• A.K.A. Ramses II of Egypt.
• an Egyptian pharaoh = a God on Earth, head of the Government, leader of the Army.
• ruled Egypt for a long time, from his teens to his nineties. one of the greatest pharaohs of all time.
• number of statues and structures built in his honour - part of one of the statues was obtained by the British Museum, and this was the inspiration for Shelley to write this poem.

Question 3

analyse the title, ‘ozymandias’:

Answer 3

• naming a poem after a person implied power or importance - this is true as Ozymandias was a powerful Egyptian pharaoh.
• ‘ozy’ comes from the Greek ‘ozium’ = to ‘breathe’ or ‘air’. ‘mandias’ means ‘to rule’.
• suggests that it’s natural for Ozymandias to rule, just as breathing and air is natural.

Question 4

analyse the first third of the poem: (1-4)

Answer 4

language:
- ‘i met a traveller from an antique land, Who said’. by framing the poem as a story from the traveller, contained within a persona’s poem, a sense of narrative distance is created between the reader and Ozymandias. he is not as powerful or famous as he thought he would have been.
- ‘antique land’. ‘antique’ has connotations of being old, outdated, and fragile. suggests Ozymandias’ land is no longer relevant, indicating his lack of power.

imagery:
- ‘vast and trunkless legs of stone’. Ozymandias was originally powerful and sturdy (stone statue, huge), but is now weak and broken (the legs are trunkless - don’t have a torso).
- ‘shattered visage’ (visage = face). broken face suggests that no person, not even Ozymandias, has long-lasting power.

Question 5

analyse the second third of the poem: (4-8)

Answer 5

structure:
- ‘cold command’ consonance (more specific type of alliteration, similar to sibilance). amplifies Ozymandias’ harshness. ‘c’ sound is a plosive consonant.

language:
- contrast between ‘survive’ and ‘lifeless’ reminds the reader that Ozymandias is dead, and his legacy almost is too. no matter what we do in life, we cannot last forever.
- ‘frown’, ‘sneer’, ‘mocked’ present Ozymandias in a negative light. Shelley may have wanted to show that power corrupts people (inspired by his own political beliefs, e.g. the French revolution, and his family life, e.g. his father).

Question 6

analyse the last third of the poem: (9-14)

Answer 6

structure:
- ‘boundless and bare. The lone and level sands stretch far away’ alliteration of ‘b’, ‘s’, ‘l’ emphasises a sense of vast emptiness.

imagery:
- ‘round the decay of that colossal wreck’ despite Ozymandias’ arrogance, his empire has crumbled. Shelley is saying that arrogance gets you nowhere.

language:
- ‘pedestal’ has connotations of power and authority; Ozymandias once had this, but it’s now faded.
- ‘king of kings’ and ‘ye mighty’ are religious references, so creates a religious tone - implies arrogance. Ozymandias thinks he is better than God.
- ‘look’ imperative also implies Ozymandias is arrogant, as he’s trying to command God.

Question 7

what is the mood throughout the poem?

Answer 7

when focusing on the setting, there is a sense of desolation (e.g. sands stretch far away). however, when the poem focuses on Ozymandias, it depicts him in a negative way, such as ‘frown’ and when his words are read, there is an arrogant tone, ‘look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair’.

Question 7

describe the overall form of ‘ozymandias’:

Answer 7

poem is mostly a sonnet (14 lines, love poem as ozymandias loves himself, first 8 lines set the scene).
- 10th line is a clear exception to iambic pentameter - Ozymandias is talking about himself, reflecting his arrogance.
- the atypical rhyme scheme could be Shelley acknowledging that everything fades in the end.

Question 8

what is the motivation for writing ‘ozymandias’?

Answer 8

Shelley was known to dislike rulers, monarchs and oppression. Shelley presents Ozymandias as an arrogant fool in order to criticise those in power. Shelley ridicules Ozymandias - and those in power generally - by showing that ‘nothing’ of his ‘works’ is left, highlighting the idea that, with time, nothing and nobody will last.

Question 9

what are the themes in ‘ozymandias’?

Answer 9

• power (that Ozymandias thinks he has, and the power of time and nature that is superior).
• nature (the natural world has outlasted Ozymandias).
• love (sonnet, Ozymandias loves himself).
• time (time has taken power away from Ozymandias).
• man (he thinks he’s a God, but he’s just one man).
• religion: ONLY MAYBE (Ozymandias is so arrogant that he thinks he’s superior to God).