Ozymandias Flashcards
(12 cards)
thesis for power/man/time
In Ozymandias, Shelley critiques the temporary and ultimately futile nature of power in the hands of man. Through the story of Ozymandias, he explores the rise and fall of human authority over time, emphasizing the destruction of his power by the overwhelming forces of nature. Shelley also critiques the abuse of power, highlighting the disconnection between Ozymandias and his legacy, making the poem a commentary on both political and personal authority.
thesis for loss/nature
In Ozymandias, Shelley critiques the political arrogance of dictators by highlighting the overpowering force of nature, a recurring theme in Romantic poetry. By showcasing how nature inevitably erodes and defeats human power, Shelley emphasises mankind’s hamartia—arrogance—through their loss of this power. He conveys how arrogance and tyranny are ultimately humbled by the natural world, which persists beyond the reach of human control.
rough essay plan
start: portrayal of the lack of power
middle: contrasted with the arrogance of ozy
end: which ultimately is ironic because of the final images of destruction
quote 1
I met a traveller from an antique land
adjective ‘antique’ has connotations of being old, outdated and fragile, it suggests that ozy’s land is no longer relevant, indicating his time of power is over
persona speaks from a distant perspective, showing Ozy has no autonomy over how his own story is told, so a lack of power in that sense and perhaps even lack of relevancy
quote 2
Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
imagery of a seemingly huge stone statue, suggests Ozy was once powerful and sturdy
adjective ‘trunkless’ shows no torso and how weak and broken he is now
quote 3
Half sunk a shattered visage lies
noun ‘visage’ meaning face refers to the statue’s broken face, suggesting that no person has long-lasting power, it implies that time and nature will eventually overpower man
‘Visage’ could also show his lack of identity
double entendre in noun ‘lies’ - his face may have told lies but also literally lies in the deserted sands
verb ‘shattered’ could hold irony as you would use this to describe broken delicacy, yet his face is not delicate
quote 4
The hand that mocked them
amplified by other nouns in the semantic field of cruelty, Ozy is presented in a negative way, Shelley may wanted to show how power and authority corrupt people
inspired by own political beliefs, like french revolution, and by his family life as he had a strained relationship with his MP father
quote 5
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings
Religious tone used suggesting arrogance, as Ozy thinks he’s better than God
phrase ‘King of Kings’ is both ironic and blasphemous and could be a direct reference to the biblical description of Jesus
he’s egotistical, thinks he’s omnipotent, the possessive pronoun ‘my’ = greedy, selfish
quote 6
Look on my Works, ye Mighty and despair!
imperative ‘Look’ suggests Ozy is trying to command God depicting him as arrogant, paired with the ‘despair’ which suggests Ozy wants God to lose hope because of the grandeur of his works, highlighting his arrogance
quote 7
nothing beside remains
imagery of decay and ruin is significant because it shows that despite his arrogance, Ozy’s empire has crumbled, Shelley may be trying to say that arrogance gets you nowhere
quote 8
decay…colossal wreck
paradoxical ‘colossal wreck’ exacerbates the destruction
‘decay’ could connote illness and destruction of the body, like the body of the statue which has been eroded by the power of nature
quote 9
boundless and bare…lone and level sands stretch
alliteration emphasizes the sense of vast emptiness and amplifies the contents of the line left behind by abuse of power and arrogance and nature’s power
