Lines 9 - 11

• “And on the pedestal, these words appear:

  My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

  Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
• Translation

  • There is an inscription on the base of the statue, with the arrogant claim that he is “ King of Kings ”
  • The inscription invites everyone, especially his “ Mighty ” enemies, to look at what he has achieved as a ruler, and to know that he believes that he is all powerful and cannot be defeated
• Shelley’s intention

  • The irony here is that the statue is falling apart and decaying so that only the ruins remain
  • The poet is showing how power deteriorates and does not last forever. Even great empires which seem to be eternal can fade to nothingness