Analysis

• "Ozymandias" - The title refers to Ramses II, an Egyptian Pharaoh who was known for being a tyrant.
• "I met a traveller" - The speaker begins by introducing someone they

  met – most of the poem is told through that person’s story.
• "an antique land," - ‘Antique’ suggests age – the events happened a long time ago but the memory is still in existence.
• "Two vast and trunkless legs" - Statue is ‘vast’ but also trunkless–shows his power may have been huge but there was no substance to it, it soon

  faded away.
• "Stand in the desert." - The nouns ‘desert’ and ‘sand’ show the isolation of the statue in its environment – the sands surround this one example of humanity. Perhaps a civilisation has been destroyed?
• "Half sunk a shattered visage lies, " - The verbs ‘sunk’ and ‘shattered’ show nature has eroded and destroyed this symbol of human power. This suggests the natural environment will always outlast any human settlement, reminding us of our own mortality; even the most powerful

  kings will turn to dust.
• "And wrinkled lip," - the adjectives “wrinkled lip” and “cold command” give an evil impression of Ozymandias as a ruler.
• "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!" - The words on the pedestal are Ozymandias’ own opinion of himself and show his inflated opinion of himself. He was clearly a tyrannical ruler who seemed to use his power to punish others. When he addresses the “Mighty” he could have been talking to the gods, suggesting his deluded opinion of himself.
• "Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!" - The imperatives here

  show Ozymandias’ commanding style. The verb ‘despair’ shows he

  wanted his subjects and enemies to view him with fear and envy. The irony is that there is nobody in the desert to view the crumbling statue – the only one who would ‘despair’ is Ozymandias.
• "Round the decay of that colossal Wreck," - The nouns ‘decay’ and ‘wreck’ symbolise the legacy of Ozymandias, nothing but crumbling stone that is turning to dust. The oxymoron “colossal wreck” suggests the fragile nature of human power – even the mightiest will fall.
• "The lone and level sands stretch far away.” -The verb “stretch” suggests that nature will outlast man and humanity – our place on this earth is only temporary and is no match for our natural environment and time.