Ozymandias by Percy Shelley Flashcards
When was the poem written?
In 1817, after an Italian explorer discovered the statue of Ozymandias from a desert.
What did Shelley often discuss in his poetry?
Political power
What is the poem based on?
The King of Ancient Egypt who was known as Ramesses II.
What does the sonnet explore?
The power of nature and presents leadership to be short lived.
What kind of sonnet is Ozymandias?
Mix of Petrarchan and Shakespearean.
How long did Ramesses II rule as Pharoah for?
66 years
How old was Ramesses when he died?
96
What happened in Egypt when Ramesses died?
There was widespread panic that the world would end because he reigned so long that all of his subjects had been born knowing only him as Pharoah.
“My name is Ozymandias…
king of kings:”
“Look on my works, ye…
mighty and despair!”
“Nothing beside…
remains.”
“I met a traveller from…
an antique land.”
“Two vast and…
trunkless legs of stone”
“A shattered visage lies, …
whose frown, and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command”
“the lone and level…
sands that stretch far away.”
