Ozymandias Flashcards
(10 cards)
context
- composed in 1817 and released in 1818
- Shelley wrote the poem during the Romantic period - a time when poets were fascinated by the power of nature, the passage of time, and the fragility of human achievements
- written about Rameses II
- British museum was in the process of having a fragment of Egyptian Pharaoh statue Rameses II (ozymandias) brought to england
- French Revolution was a big influence
-> people (including Shelley) agreed with the idea that power should be shifting from the minority to the majority - Shelley was a Romantic poet who believed poems should capture emotions and feelings rather than fact and reason
- he had a strong dislike for empires, royalty and the way the poorer classes were kept down/‘in their place’ by those higher up
- his radical political views and skepticism toward absolute power and intrinsic to the poems message, as he uses the ruined stature as a symbol of hubris and the inevitable decay of human ambition
form and structure
- “Ozymandias” is a sonnet—a compact, 14-line poem—yet Shelley’s approach defies strict conventions.
-> He blends elements of both the Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnet forms. - While the poem adheres loosely to iambic pentameter, its rhyme scheme is irregular (commonly noted as ABABACDCEDEFEF) to reflect the broken and fragmented subject matter.
- The poem is framed as a report from a traveller, which not only distances the speaker from the narrative but also reinforces the idea of a far-off, decayed empire.
-> This narrative device allows Shelley to comment on the futility of even the greatest rulers’ legacies. - Enjambment throughout the sonnet creates a flowing, conversational quality that mirrors the inexorable passage of time—and the erosion of authority—with each line
language and imagery
Shelley’s language in “Ozymandias” is remarkably vivid and economical. Key images include:
The Ruined Statue:
- The poem opens with the image of “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone” standing in the desert.
-> This powerful visual symbolizes the remnants of an empire now reduced to scattered fragments.
- The shattered “visage” with its “frown, / And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command” conveys both the arrogance of the ruler and the irony of his present decay.
The Desert:
- The setting—a boundless, empty desert—is central to the poem’s meditation on time.
- Descriptions such as “lone and level sands” underscore nature’s permanence compared to the fleeting nature of human power.
- The desert serves as a metaphor for the inevitability of decay, suggesting that no matter how grand a ruler’s ambitions, time erodes all achievements.
Inscription and Irony:
- The inscription on the pedestal—“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; / Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”—is overtly boastful.
- Yet the irony is laid bare by the ruined state of the monument.
-> Shelley uses this stark contrast to mock the vanity and hubris of those who believe their power will endure forever.
- The use of precise, often harsh adjectives such as “trunkless,” “shattered,” and “colossal wreck” contributes to an overall tone of derision and melancholy, painting a picture of impermanence and ruin.
- Assonance and alliteration (for example, the repetition of “l” sounds in “lone and level”) enhance the musicality of the poem while reinforcing the desolation of the scene
themes and their significance
Transience of Power:
- At the poem’s heart is the theme of impermanence. - Ozymandias’s once-mighty empire has crumbled, and his proud declaration has been rendered futile by the relentless passage of time.
- This serves as a timeless reminder that human ambition—even when cloaked in the trappings of absolute power—is ultimately ephemeral.
Hubris and the Irony of Legacy:
- The poem is a pointed commentary on the arrogance of those who assume that their power is everlasting.
- The boasting inscription is undermined by the decay that surrounds it, highlighting the irony of a ruler who once commanded fear and respect now reduced to ruins.
- Shelley’s sardonic tone criticizes the vanity and excesses of tyrants, revealing that no mortal achievement can escape time’s inexorable decay.
Nature versus Human Achievement:
- By juxtaposing the fleeting nature of human constructs with the enduring, if indifferent, vastness of the natural world, Shelley implies that nature will always outlast the pride of man.
- The desert—empty and unyielding—stands as a silent testament to this reality
literary techniques and their impact
Irony:
- The entire poem is steeped in dramatic and situational irony.
- Ozymandias’s arrogant command to “look on my Works” is rendered absurd by the desolation surrounding the ruined statue.
Alliteration and Assonance:
- Shelley’s deliberate use of sound devices, such as the alliterative “lone and level” and the assonance in “boundless and bare,” not only creates a memorable musical quality but also mirrors the endless, empty expanse of the desert.
Metaphor:
- The ruined statue is a potent metaphor for the downfall of tyrannical power. It symbolizes how even the most formidable empires are subject to decay and oblivion.
Framing and Narrative Distance:
- The traveller’s account provides a layer of narrative detachment, reinforcing the idea that the story of Ozymandias is a cautionary tale passed along through history.
- This framing device invites readers to consider the broader implications of power and legacy without the personal bias of the author
quotations
‘Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
‘My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings’
‘Two vast and trunkless legs of stone / Stand in the desert’
‘Round the decay’
‘Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
- Imperative (“Look… and despair!”) conveys arrogance but, in context, the boast backfires: there is nothing left to admire.
- Direct address (“ye Mighty”) heightens formality, placing Ozymandias above all others only to undercut him with the desolate scene.
- Semantic contrast between “Works” (achievement) and “despair” (hopelessness) sharpens the poem’s central irony: human grandeur is fleeting
- The comma after “Mighty” creates a mini‑volta—first we “look,” then we’re told to “despair,” mirroring our shift from expectation to desolation.
- Written in iambic pentameter, the line sounds epic even as its meaning collapses into tragic irony.
- Enjambment into “Nothing beside remains…” propels us from boast to barren reality
- Impermanence of power: Time and nature outlast human ambition.
- Art vs. Authority: The sculptor’s skill endures more vividly in the broken visage than Ozymandias’s own legacy.
- Reader’s role: The imperative implicates us as “Mighty,” reminding us to question pride and authority
‘My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings’
- First‑person declaration (“My name is Ozymandias”) grants immediacy and ownership—he speaks directly through stone.
- Hyperbolic title (“King of Kings”) echoes biblical grandeur and amplifies his arrogance.
- Alliteration (“King of Kings”) and the repeated hard “k” sounds hammer home his supposed supremacy
- Caesura after “Ozymandias” slows the line, forcing us to linger on his name before his lofty claim.
- Iambic pentameter lends a formal, elevated tone befitting a royal proclamation.
- Quoted speech within the third‑person narrative jolts us: we move from the traveller’s voice to the king’s own words, then back—heightening the contrast between message and reality
- Hubris and legacy: The grand title reveals Ozymandias’s pride in his empire.
- Dramatic irony: The boast rings hollow against the statue’s ruin and empty sands.
- Power’s fragility: Even a “King of Kings” cannot withstand time’s decay
‘Two vast and trunkless legs of stone / Stand in the desert’
- “Vast” conveys the monument’s original grandeur, hinting at a once‑mighty ruler.
- “Trunkless” highlights fragmentation—the statue is incomplete, its torso lost to time.
- “S of stone” stresses cold permanence, yet the loss of the rest suggests impermanence.
- “Desert” evokes barrenness and isolation, underlining how nature reclaims human works
- Enjambment between “stone” and “Stand” propels us breathlessly into the scene, mimicking the sudden revelation of ruin.
- Iambic pentameter lends a measured, epic quality to the description, even as it reports decay.
- As the opening lines, they set the tone: expectation of awe is immediately undercut by evidence of destruction
- Transience of power: The “vast” legs point to former greatness, but their “trunkless” state shows that all empires crumble.
- Nature vs. Man: The “desert” has outlasted Ozymandias’s artifice, reminding us that time and environment erode human ambition.
- Irony: We expect a grand statue; instead, we find mere remnants, foreshadowing the poem’s critique of hubris
‘Round the decay’
- “Round” (around) suggests enclosure—a circle of destruction that encloses the ruin, isolating it.
- “Decay” personifies the fallen statue, emphasising active deterioration rather than static ruin.
- The phrase is terse, heightening the sense of starkness and abandonment
- Enjambment carries “Round the decay” from the previous line’s end, linking the pedestal’s inscription to the ruined scene without pause—so the reader moves immediately from pride to desolation.
- The three‑syllable phrase sits at the line’s start, giving it prominence and inviting a panoramic view of the destruction
- Impermanence: “Decay” reminds us that even the greatest works succumb to time.
- Isolation: “Round” implies that nothing but decay surrounds the wreck, underscoring its loneliness.
- Irony: The proud inscription promised awe; instead, we circle ruin—an answer to Ozymandias’s challenge
