Ozymandias

• Ozymandias :

  "sneer of cold command"

  • Alliteration, harsh sounds
  • Lack of empathy
  • Dictator, everyone is inferior to him
  • Megalomaniac
  • Sense of authority
  • Everyone should obey him
  • Suffocated people
• "my name is ozymandias, king of kings, look on my works, ye mighty and despair!"

  • "My" possessive, selfish and greedy
  • Elevated status, god like, biblical reference to jesus
  • Showing off his empire
  • Make others feel inferior
  • Present tense, power will last
  • Third person, narcissistic and arrogant
• "nothing besides remains"

  • Everything becomes ironic
  • Volta
  • Power of nature and time
  • Decay in power
  • Can't overcome nature
  • Insignificance of humans
  • The statue and it's creator didn't last forever unlike nature
• Ozymandias context:

  • Romantic poet, loss of spirituality, nature and religion
  • Tyrant: Ramses II, slaves made the statue, abused power, suffered under the paraoh
  • Reference to George lll, change government or will end up like ozymandias
  • Nature will outlive us
  • Human power is temporary
• Ozymandias structure:

  • Rhyme scheme at beggining, as rhyme scheme decays, ozymandias power decays