Ozymandias - Percy Shelley Flashcards
1
Q
“sneer of cold command”
A
- harsh alliteration symbolises the cruelty of Ozymandias
- “sneer” → mocking, scorn, disgust
mocking reinforced by “the hand that mocked”
2
Q
“The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed”
A
hand represents physical mocking and heart feeds the mocking → Ozymandias has the power to influence/control people’s lives (can make them suffer to feed his satisfaction)
3
Q
“Which yet survive”
A
- inevitability of nature → Shelley celebrated nature (Romantic)
- power is mortal
4
Q
“Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! / Nothing beside remains”
A
- juxtaposition of both lines highlights the mortality of human power → reinforcing the power of nature as a force
- capitalisation of “Mighty” is almost blasphemous
- hubris → fatal pride
5
Q
“king of kings”
A
- adds to idea of blasphemy in “Mighty”
- presents him as a sort of god
6
Q
“The lone and level sands stretch far away”
A
- futility of power
- redundancy of the statue → statue is an example of hubris
7
Q
Context
A
- Shelley was a romantic → celebrated nature
- against the monarchy
