ozymandias

• Ozymandias was written by the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1817. It explores the idea that all power is temporary, no matter how powerful or tyrannical the ruler is, and that ultimately nature is more powerful than any human power.
• Structure at the beginning

  The poem begins with "I met a traveller" which instantly passes any responsibility for the opinions within the poem onto a stranger. Shelley opens his poem with the detached narrative of a traveller to distance himself from the political messages of his poem.

  
  

  Shelley uses Ozymandias as an allegory for King George III. This shows readers that he's willing to risk criticism that would have come with this move. This detachment means Shelley is free to comment on the monarchy or religion as he wishes for the rest of the poem because the views expressed are being presented as the views of someone else. Equally, having the poem communicated by reported speech serves to trivalise the reign of Ozymandias.
• "Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

  Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things

  The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;"

  The poem presents negative views about the power used to impose will

  It also comments on the arrogance and pride that can come from thetype of tyrannical power in which the ruler wishes only be to known for his percieved greatness.

  Ozymandias sees glory in a statue that is critical, yet his confidence in his own supremacy means he overlooks any evidence that contradicts their grandeur.

  "Mocked" can also be interpreted as "to make a model of" as the sculptor has literally made a model of the king - perhaps it was not his intention to portray him negatively - he had a "heart that fed" the king through its intention to please him - but that simply by modelling Ozymandias - it was inevitable that his cruelty would show due to it being an inextricable part of him.
• Romantic Era - Context for Ozymandias

  Shelley often focused on the subject and the emotional, which contrasted with enlightenment values. During the enlightenment, writers would center their work on the beauty of nature and simplicity of the past, with an appreciation of the sublime, the overwhelming power and awe of the natural world. There was a rejection of institutions of power, and poetry was used to spread messages and political ideas which needed to be accessible to all.
• "a shatter'd visage"

  The image of a shattered visage creates a sense of irony; a king who believed so strongly in his own power and superiority, and who tried so hard to present this image of greatness through his statue, has now been forgotten and destroyed by time other than the visage that had been intended to show he was unforgettable.
• "wrinkled lip"

  A wrinkled lip conjures the image of someone grimacing in disgust and contempt, thus displaying the king's disregard for his subjects, viewing them as inferior and below him. This antipathy is then paired with immense power which enables him to exploit and torture the people he rules with no empathy or remorse. Shelly can use this to show the danger of a single individual having unlimited power invested in them (be it political or religious), as it enables them to see all other people as inferior and thus derive an ability to oppress them.
• "sneer"

  contemptuous/mocking smile, remark or tone, which connotes malicious cruelty and heartless. It's like he is mocking his subjects, and how his insolence and contempt for subjects that he views as below him. This presents the King's arrogance, confidence and sense of superiority.
• "cold command"

  This is reflective of Shelley's own anti-violence stance, as he was against all military exploits and thus also against the "cold commands" that initate them.
• "king of kings"

  This claim seems ironic to the reader when they are known only via the report of a traveller. Ozymandias' pride and arrogance led to his perception of himself as the "king of kings". Criticizes leaders and their ideas of themselves and ability to rule suggests he views himself as omnipotent.
• "lone and level"

  Level - monotonous and featureless - no sign of his legacy

  Lone - isolated - statue is all that remains - his cruelty is only rembrance

  These are also alliterative.
• "far away"

  The statue is in a "fary away" where it stands so insignificant and unrecognised that only travellers know it exists. Egypt (the statue of the poem exists, and orignated from the Ramesseum in Egypt) which Ozymandias had tried so hard to extend and empower. His pursuits are condemned to failure when the insignificance of Egypt allows it to be dismissively deemed "far away"
• The title "Ozymandias"

  Polysyllabic title, suggests the poem will tackle complex issues.

  Sounds exotic to contemporary audiences, which may encourage them to read and engage with the poem.

  Greek name for Ramses II of Egypt - Shelley studied ancient Greek, not Egyptian.

  Simple, one word title narrows the focus of the poem onto a single person/entity.
• King George III arguably has impact over Shelley's poem, as his poem written during his reign; he had reigned longer than any king before, but had outstayed his welcome. He engaged in many military conflcits and was remembered for opression and tyranny - during his rule, the 13 colonies rebelled. Shelley was pacifist and positioned himself against George's military exploits. Some consider George III the inspiration for Ozymandias, who is seen historically as a tyrant.
• Rhyme Scheme of Ozymandias

  The irregular rhyme scheme contrasts with the single stanza as the former suggests a lack of power and control of the ruler, whereas the single stanza suggests order. These contrasts could reflect how different groups of people view war and conflict as either beneficial or detrimental to society.
• • The poem blends Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets, and Shelly does this in order to demonstrate that all power - even the power of literary conventions - is transient and subject to evolution
  • The poem takes the traditional fourteen lines and Octet-Volta-Sestet structure of Petrarchan sonnet
  • Whereas the irregular rhyme scheme is closer to ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, typical of Shakespearean sonnets, plus it uses consistent iambic pentameter
• However, the irregular rhyme scheme breaks away from the sonnet form which enables Shelley to imply how poetry and literature can defy tradition and give way to new power. He is directly demonstrating that conventions can be changed, replaced and edited. This is a literary attitude characteristic of the romantic poets, who focused their work on defying old ideas be them ideas of rhythm or religion, meter or monarchy. By adding his own style of the sonnet, he encourages the belief that convention should never be accepted without challenge.
• Sonnets are traditionally love poems, and by Shelley selecting to make the statue to focus of the poem, it could be argued that he is making this an object of love and respect. This may work to disguise political messages, whilst still focusing on the power of nature.
• Alliteration in Ozymandias

  Shelley uses alliteration to demonstrate the vast, unending power of the desert, and to contrast and belittle the limited power of man. The statue can be seen as a representation of human power - it is a king's attempt to evade death and cement himself in history, yet it lies broken as a "colossal wreck". The statue is stripped of all power as it lies broken on the floor, yet the desert around it remains endless and overwhelming in its size.

  Shelley describes it as "boundless and bare", "lone and level", and this use of alliteration serves to communicate the vast, powerful extent of nature, and its ability to outlive all other forms of power and deem them insignificant by comparion. It also works to present the desert as vast, monotonous and featureless.
• Consonance in Ozymandias

  The repetition of the harsh "c" sound helps to reflect the callous lack of compassion the king had for his subjects, and how oppressive his rule was. The sound bleeds into the reader's perception of the king, helping to portray him as aggressive and callous, and also connotes crueltry and aggresion. This shows Shelley's disapproval of military campaigns.

  The consonance also suggests a use of power for military aims without any interference from empathy or compassion. This is reflective of Shelley's own anti-violence stance, as he was against all military exploits and thus also against the "cold commands" that initate them.
• Metaphors in Ozymandias

  The poem can be seen as an allegory. Shelley is using Ozymandias as a representation of King George III and all figures of power. He plays with the literal and the metaphorical to create an overwhelming sense of irony surrounding the fall of the King's influence.

  The image of a shattered visage creates a sense of irony. The poem portrays a King who believed so strongly in his own power and superiority, and who tried so hard to present this image of greatness through his statue. Yet this statue has now been forgotten and destroyed by time. Therefore, the visage of power that he wore during his reign was little more than a mask for the true vulnerability of his authority.

  The transient and insignificant nature of human power is a key message in Shelley's poem because it was this power that he wanted to reform and reassign in order to better structure a corrupt industrialising society.
• Symbolism in Ozymandias

  • The use of a desert setting also strips Ozymandias of his legacy. The land surrounding the plauqe that boasts of his work is a barren, featureless wasteland, devoid of any culture or life. The emptiness of the desert is symbolic of how his reign was pointless and insignificant as he has been forgotten by history. Instead he has been dwarfed by greater forces of nature and time. Ozymandias has no legacy despite his orders to "look on my works" - they no longer exist.
  • This has some contextual irony, as Ramesses hoped to expand power and influence of Egypt, but it's now just a featureless desert and "antique land".
• Sand symbolism in Ozymandias

  Sand is often associated with time. Within the poem Shelley uses sand to show how time can erase the power of man. The sand has literally covered over Ozymandias' satue; the figurative "sands of time" have covered over Ozymandias' memory. This shows the reader that regardless of how powerful man becomes nature will always prevail. It also shows that everything comes from the earth and everything will return to it.
• Overall, Shelley is criticising power. There is a negative semantic field surrounding this theme, including the language: wrinkled / shattered / frown / sunk /sneer. It could be argued that his aim was to make the reader more receptive to ideas about corruption of power when paired with a negative tone.
• The speaker is criticising Ozymandias and all he represents, including his power and pride, suggesting that those with power are deluded in their belief of the supremacy of their power. The statue is personified and described as sneering, cold and mocking.
• The King is confident that the legacy of his power will remain throughout history and this confidence makes him commemorate himself in statue. However, the speaker sees that the statue, and therefore the King's legacy is destroyed. This is Shelely's use of dramatic irony, the satue has been broekn and forgotten with his legacy and empire being reduced to sand.
• Shelley's Message

  Shelley has sculpted his poem to reflect the oppression of powerful leaders and the transience of mankind's power. It mocks rulers past, present and future for thinking they will be any different from the previous one. The King used his powers to oppress others - power allows for oppression, pride allows for it without guilt.

  SHelley can be seen to be criticising systems in which individuals are given so much power that despite their abuse of it, the population are unable to remove them because there is no alternative. This ties in with his anti-religion and anti-monarchy views as he is criticisng all power being centred ona person who derives their importance from an image - a "visage" and percieved divine right to power. It is his pride that gives him a sense of entitlement to power. Indeed, he views himself as "king of kings".
• Ozymandias x My Last Duchess

  Both poems suggest overarchingly that humanity's pride/power is unfounded. For example, in Ozymandias the poet shows a loss of power over time and in competition with nature, as the characters are surrounded by desert which is a symbol of nature and time. Similarly, MLD shows the duke's power constantly undermined by the enjambment, caesura and single stance.

  In both poems, the origin of pride is love for oneself and one's power. This is expressed in Ozymandias through the form of the Sonnet, as it is a love poem to show the king's love from himself. In MLD, the duke loves his "nine hundred year old name" and feels entitled to authority and control because of it.

  Whilst both poets overarchingly suggest that pride and power leads to oppression, the subjects of the oppression are different in each poem.
• Ozymandias x London

  Both Shelley's Ozymandias and Blake's London show how nature will always be more powerful than humankind, and use setting to convey the nature of power and the power of nature.

  The statue in Ozymandias is a physical symbol of the power of mankind, and the poem shows it being consumed by nature. Blake's London shows the attempts of humans to control nature, and the futility of this attempt.

  Shelley emphasises the exceptional power of the natural world, which links to the Romantic idea of the sublime. Blake writes "near where the chartered Thames does flow" He juxtaposes "chartered" and "flow" emphasising how impossible it is for humans to ultimately dominante nature.

  Both poets reflect on power as something that creates a sense of entitlement or arrogance, as a way to make those lacking in power suffer. Both create a social commentary relating to hierarchical power structures and their inherent unfairness.
• Differences for Ozymandias x London

  Whereas Shelley is warning against indiviudal arrogance and pride, Blake is commenting on the state of all people who live in London, and the systems that create oppression.

  Via the inscription on the pedestal, Ozymandias orders his people to "look on my work". Blake is commenting on the corrupt nature of politicians and organised societal structures in London, as he believes they cause great suffering to all.

  The imperative "look on" shows the King's arrogance and the verb "despair" suggests that once someone has seen what he has achieved, there is no option for them but to feel lost and defeated. However, Blake describes the people of London as living in "mind-forg'd manacales." This suggests that the people who are suffering have created their own prisons in the minds.
• Ozymandias x Prelude

  Both poems display nature as more powerful than mankind; in Ozymandias, human power is shown as intrinsically weak and transient and lost to time and nature. Meanwhile, in The Prelude, failed attempts of mankind to overpower and manipulate a force beyond its control are displayed.

  Similarly, both poems express this power of nature through the use of personification. The theme of pride is key in both, it being the cause of the subjects' eventual fall.

  Whilst both poets explore how pride is unfounded because human power is inferior to the power of nature, they present this in different ways. In The Prelude, the overwhelming power of nature leads to the speaker's loss of eloquence and how he becomes unable to define his world. On the other hand, in Ozymandias, this power is conveyed through the symbolism of the desert and time.