Ozymandias Flashcards
(20 cards)
Who wrote Ozymandias?
Percy Bysshe Shelley
What does the inscription say in Ozymandias?
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
What remains of the statue?
A shattered face and trunkless legs.
What is the main theme of Ozymandias?
The impermanence of power.
Who narrates Ozymandias?
A traveler
What is the setting of Ozymandias?
A vast desert, emphasizing emptiness and decay.
What does “shattered visage” refer to?
The broken face of Ozymandias’s statue, symbolizing his forgotten legacy.
What emotion is conveyed by the “sneer of cold command”?
Arrogance, reflecting his belief in his own superiority.
What literary device is in “The lone and level sands stretch far away”?
Imagery, painting a picture of desolation and endless time.
What does the poem suggest about human achievements?
They are fleeting, as even the greatest rulers fade into obscurity.
What does the traveler describe?
A ruined statue, highlighting Ozymandias’s fallen empire.
What does the broken statue symbolize?
The impermanence of power, showing that even the mighty are forgotten.
Why is the inscription ironic in Ozymandias?
It boasts of greatness, yet nothing remains of his empire.
What does “King of Kings” imply?
Ozymandias saw himself as superior to other rulers.
How does the poem relate to art and power?
Art outlasts power—Ozymandias’s arrogance remains in the sculptor’s work.
What does “boundless and bare” describe?
The empty desert, reinforcing the theme of decay and insignificance.
What does the poem say about rulers’ legacies?
They are ultimately forgotten, no matter how powerful they once were.
What is the tone of Ozymandias?
Melancholic, reflecting on the inevitable decline of human ambition.
How does nature interact with history in the poem?
Nature is indifferent, erasing even the grandest empires over time.
What does Ozymandias suggest about the passage of time?
It reveals how time erodes even the greatest monuments and rulers, leaving behind only traces of their existence.
