Ozymandius Flashcards
“Sneer of cold command”
The alliteration emphasises the arrogance and
strictness of the king.
“Well those passions read.”
The sculptor could easily see the vanity and ego of the pharaoh.
“The hand that mocked and the heart
that fed.”
The king mocked his people and said they weren’t
worth anything compared to him. He also used his
people for his own gain or to satisfy his desires. `
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
This is on the pedestal of the statue. It shows how arrogant and powerful the king thinks he is.
“Nothing beside remains.”
Volta - turning point.
Ironic as the king has lost all of his power.
“Boundless and bare”, “Lone and level.”
The alliteration emphasises how much the king has
lost. It’s a semantic field of destruction as time has destroyed everything the king thought of as precious.
Form
Romantic and Petrarchan sonnet.
Structure
Rhyme scheme of a octet followed by a sestet.
ABABACDCEDEFEF.
Frame Structure - The narrator is being told the story
from a traveller which makes the narration more distant and mysterious.
Key themes
The power of nature triumphs over man.
Time beats everything.
