Ozymandias Flashcards
Beginning quote 1
“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone / Stand in the desert…”
The fact that this statue stands with nothing around is demonstrates how Ozymandias has lost power over time.
The ellipsis show how no one worships him anymore
Beginning quote 2
“a shattered visage lies”
Ironic - even the most powerful rulers cannot stop the damage that time brings.
Middle quote 1
“Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things”
The juxtaposition between “survive” and “lifeless” highlights how art can outlast human power, but the ruined statue shows that art cannot immortalise power.
Middle quote 2
“on the pedestal these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:”
The noun pedestal has connotations of putting someone above everyone else. This could suggest that Ozymandias wanted everyone to remember him as being divine.
King of kings shows a sense of arrogance
End quote 1
“Nothing beside remains. Round the decay”
The word nothing suggests that were people used to worship Ozymandias now he remains a forgotten figure in history.
End quote 2
“Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare”
The noun ‘wreck’ demonstrates that human achievements are insignificant compared to the passing of time.
End quote 3
“The lone and level sands stretch far away”
Alliteration emphasises the feeling of empty space in the surrounding desert.
Who wrote Ozymandias?
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Context of Ozymandias
Shelley was a Romantic poet, he wrote Ozymandias in 1817 after hearing about an Italian explorer who had retrieved the statue.
Form of Ozymandias
This poem is a sonnet with a volta at line 9 like a Petrarchan sonnet. However is doesn’t follow a regular rhyme scheme reflecting the destruction of human power.
