Ozymandias Flashcards
1
Q
Who was Ozymandias?
A
- Pharoh: Ramses II
- Greeks called him ozymandias.
2
Q
What is the MAIN message of ozymandias?
A
- Human power is limited
- Acts as a warning for people in power to not mistreat others -they will never be as powerful as time/ god.
3
Q
What is ironic about ozymandias being in sonnet form?
A
- Sonnet- typically love- poem
- Symbolises how Ramses II loved himself
- Irony of the fact he is now destroyed.
4
Q
How is punctuation used in the poem by Shelley to show the contrast in Ramses II thinking his reign will last forever and it coming to an end?
A
- When Shelley described Ramses II reign and how he behaved, he uses enjambement - punctuation isn’t stopping just how Ramses thought his reign would last forever.
- Caesura - when Shelley described his destroyed statue: his reign has come to an end.
5
Q
How do we know ozymandias was a dictator from the poem?
A
- ## “frown, wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command.”
6
Q
When was ozymandias written?
A
19th century.
7
Q
What does Ozymandius say when adressing God?
A
- “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings, look on my works, Ye Mighty and Despair!”
- “King of Kings” - saying for Christ - religious imagery.
- “Look” - imperative
- Thinks he is above God but Shelley emphasises he is not by showing his destruction and insignificance.
8
Q
Give a few words that contribute to the semantic field of destruction.
A
- “shattered visage”
- “decay”
- “wreck”
9
Q
What technique is used by Shelley and why: “lone and level sands stretch far away.”
A
- Metaphor
- Insignificance of Ramses in the world. His empire has been completely wiped out.
10
Q
Give a quote that shows Ramses II had been forgotten over time.
A
- “Half - sunk”
- Deeply hidden from society (unimportant.)
11
Q
What is romantic poetry ?
A
- A literary movement in the 1800’s that focussed on glorification of the past and nature.
- Reaction to Industrial Revolution (science/ tech)
12
Q
What type of writer was Shelley?
A
- Shelley was a radical writer for his time.
- He was critical of people who were born with power and misused it ie. royal family.
