Poetry: Ozymandias Flashcards
(20 cards)
Whys: 1
Shelley condemns the exploitation of power, where rulers commit acts of depravity and
despotism for personal gain.
Whys: 2
Shelley warns against hubris and vanity, emphasising that pride often comes before a fall.
Whys: 3
Shelley emphasises that human power is transitory, with nature superseding and ultimately
obliterating all human constructs.
Whys: 4
In keeping with his belief that poets are the ‘unacknowledged legislators of the world’, Shelley
heralds the power of art, and its ability to prevail when all else becomes a distant memory.
Which themes are present in this poem?
Passage of time
Change and transformation
Negative emotions
Nature
Which poems can be linked with this poem?
Hawk roosting
London
To autumn
Mametz wood
Summary
Ozymandias is a sonnet about a broken statue found in the desert. It once belonged to a powerful ancient king, but now it’s ruined, forgotten, and crumbling. The poem explores how power, pride, and human achievements all fade with time, no matter how mighty someone once was. It’s a powerful warning against arrogance and a reminder of nature and time’s dominance over man.
Context 1
Shelley was a Romantic poet, who believed in nature, emotion, imagination, and often challenged political power and tyranny.
Context 2
Ozymandias is based on a real pharaoh (Ramesses II), but Shelley uses it to criticise rulers who are arrogant and obsessed with legacy.
Form?
A Petrarchan sonnet, with elements of a Shakespearean sonnet.
Form relate to content?
Sonnets are often used for love poems, so using it here ironically highlights Ozymandias’s self-love and ego—his obsession with himself and his own power.
Structure
Single stanza with interlocking rhyme scheme and a flowing narrative.
The story is told second-hand—a traveller describes what he saw.
This distances the reader from Ozymandias and makes him seem even more forgotten, as his story is passed down like a rumour or relic.
Rhyme
Irregular rhyme: ABABACDCEDEFEF.
The breaking of the traditional sonnet rhyme mirrors the broken statue and the collapse of power
I met a traveller from an antique land
Memory, Time
Framing device
Shelley distances himself—shows how Ozymandias is already forgotten, reduced to a story.
Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Decay, Power
Juxtaposition, irony
The statue is huge, but incomplete—his power has crumbled over time.
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies
Fragility, Time
Imagery, alliteration
His face is broken and buried—time has destroyed his legacy.
Sneer of cold command
Tyranny, Pride
Alliteration, tone
The king was arrogant and cruel—his power was based on fear, not love or respect.
My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: / Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Power, Irony
Irony, commanding tone
He thought he was unbeatable, but now there’s nothing left—this is the core irony of the poem
Nothing beside remains
Loss, Futility
Caesura, short sentence
Creates a pause to emphasise emptiness—his works have completely disappeared.
The lone and level sands stretch far away
Nature, Time
Sibilance, imagery
Nature has outlasted him—his ego is buried in endless, uncaring desert.
