Ozymandias Flashcards
these words at the beginning show how far removed the reader is from this old land
traveller…antique
first narrative voice introduced, leads onto second
I met…Who said
the statue is very large but has fallen apart, it is in a barren area
vast and trunkless legs of stone/Stand in the desert
the head of the statue has fallen off, shows that time in the desert destroys even the mightiest statues
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies
this language is used to convey how cold and emotionless the statue is, how it once held power. consonance used to emphasise cruelty
frown…wrinkled lip…sneer of cold command
despite the sculptor being long gone, the fruits of their labour lives on in the form of this statue, all that there is to remember the past’s power
sculptor…Which yet survive
double entendre as this word could be that a mere mortal made the statue but also that the king may have literally ridiculed the people
The hand that mocked them
contrasts previous statement that the king also supplied all his people
heart that fed
the statue was erected to celebrate achievement and power
pedestal
third narrative voice, biblical reference to king, shows the king believed he had divine right
My name is Ozymandias, king of kings
king is asking people to bow down and fear him
Look on my works, ye Mighty and despair!
irony as all that is left is the statue, shows time passes on
Nothing beside remains
the statue has lost its grandeur over time
Decay
all great things come to an end and get destroyed
colossal wreck
alliteration emphasises the irony of the situation, everything that once was, is gone
boundless and bare
