Ozymandias Flashcards
(25 cards)
Poem Title & Author
“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Central Theme 1
The transience of power/tyranny. Even mighty rulers and their empires eventually crumble to dust.
Central Theme 2
The futility of human ambition/arrogance in the face of time and nature.
Central Theme 3
The enduring power of art/poetry (the sculptor’s work and Shelley’s poem preserve the story).
Poetic Form
Sonnet (specifically a Petrarchan/Italian sonnet, though with some variations in rhyme scheme). 14 lines, iambic pentameter.
Rhyme Scheme
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG (Shelley’s variation, not a strict Petrarchan, which is ABBAABBA CDECDE or CDCDCD).
Literary Device: Alliteration Example
“boundless and bare” (line 14) - Emphasizes the emptiness and vastness.
Literary Device: Irony (Type 1)
Situational irony. Ozymandias’s inscription demands others “despair!” at his mighty works, but all that remains is desolate ruin.
Literary Device: Irony (Type 2)
Dramatic irony. The reader knows the fate of the statue and empire, while Ozymandias, in his arrogance, was oblivious.
Speaker of the poem
The poet (Shelley) relays a story told to him by a “traveller from an antique land.” This adds a layer of distance and authenticity.
Significance of “antique land”
Suggests ancient Egypt, a place of past empires and monumental ruins, lending credibility to the tale.
Description of the “frown” and “wrinkled lip”
Indicates a cruel, disdainful, and tyrannical ruler. The sculptor captured his essence.
Who is the “sculptor”?
The unnamed artist who created the statue. His skill outlasts the king’s power.
Significance of “The hand that mocked them” (line 8)
Refers to the sculptor’s hand, which skillfully imitated Ozymandias’s expressions.
Significance of “The heart that fed” (line 8)
Refers to Ozymandias’s heart, implying his passions, his arrogance, and the nature of his rule.
The inscription on the pedestal
“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; / Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!” - A testament to his extreme hubris.
Effect of the exclamation mark in the inscription
Emphasizes Ozymandias’s absolute command and arrogant belief in his perpetual power.
Contrast between inscription and reality
The inscription boasts of “Works,” but only “colossal Wreck,” “lone and level sands” remain.
Literary Device: Synecdoche (subtle)
“The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed.” The hand represents the sculptor’s skill, the heart represents Ozymandias’s character.
Figurative language: “colossal Wreck”
Metaphor for the ruined statue, emphasizing its former grandeur and present destruction.
Imagery used to describe the surroundings
“lone and level sands stretch far away.” Creates a sense of vast emptiness, desolation, and the overwhelming power of nature.
Symbolism of the “sands”
Represents time, erosion, and the ephemeral nature of human achievements.
Shelley’s message about rulers/power
Power is temporary and ultimately insignificant in the grand scheme of time.
Connection to Romanticism (brief)
Emphasis on nature’s power, human insignificance, and the enduring quality of art/imagination over material power.
