Ozymandius Flashcards
Rhyme scheme in ‘ozymandias’
The irregular rhyme scheme contrasts with the single stanza as the former suggests a lack of power and control of the ruler, whereas the single stanza suggests order. These contrats could reflect how different groups of people view war and conflict as either beneficial or detrimental to society.
How is the theme of power and pride presented in Ozymandius
Shelley is criticising power. Negative semantic field surrounding this theme. Aim to make reader more receptive to ideas about corruption of power when paired with a negative tone.
Criticising Ozy suggests that those with power are deluded in their belief of the supremacy of their power.
King is confident that his legacy and will lasy through history, but he is overcome by nature and his power is reduce to sand (dramatic irony)
Reflect the oppression of powerful leaders and the transcience of mankind’s power. It mocks rulers past, present and future for think they will be different from the previous one
The king uses power to oppress others-power allows for oppression, pride allows for it without guilt
Alliteration in ‘Ozymandias’
Shelley uses alliteration to demonstrate the vast, unending power of the desert, and to contrast and belittle the limited power of man. The statue can be seen as a representation of human power- it is a king’s attempt to evade death and cement himself in history, yet it lies broken as a “colossal wreck”. The statue is stripped of all power as it lies broken on the floor, yet the desert around it remains endless and overwhelming in its size.
Shelley describes it as “boundless and bare”, “lone and level”, and this use of alliteration serves to communicate the vast, powerful extent of nature, and its ability to outlive all other forms of power and deem them insignificant by comparison. It also works to present the desert as vast, monotonous and featureless.
Metaphors in ‘Ozymandias’
The poem can be seen as an allegory. Shelley is using Ozymandias as a representation of King George III and all figures of power. He plays with the literal and the metaphorical to create an overwhelming sense of irony surrounding the fall of the King’s influence.
The image of a shattered visage creates a sense of irony. The poem portrays a king who believed so strongly in his own power and superiority, and who tried so hard to present this image of greatness through his stature. Yet this statue has now been forgotten and destroyed by time. Therefore, the visage of power that he wore during his reign was little more than a mask for the true vulnerability of his authority.
The transient and insignificant nature of human power is a key message in Shelley’s poem, because it was this power that he wanted to reform and reassign in order to better structure a corrupt industrialising society.
