Poetry: Ozymandias

Question 1

Whys: 1

Answer 1

Shelley condemns the exploitation of power, where rulers commit acts of depravity and
despotism for personal gain.

Question 2

Whys: 2

Answer 2

Shelley warns against hubris and vanity, emphasising that pride often comes before a fall.

Question 3

Whys: 3

Answer 3

Shelley emphasises that human power is transitory, with nature superseding and ultimately
obliterating all human constructs.

Question 4

Whys: 4

Answer 4

In keeping with his belief that poets are the ‘unacknowledged legislators of the world’, Shelley
heralds the power of art, and its ability to prevail when all else becomes a distant memory.