Ozymandias

• "On the sand, half sunk a shattered visage lies.": Ozymandias


  • "Half sunk" - Represents the passing of time, making his 'kingdom' hidden because of the power that nature has.
  • "Shattered" - Adjective - His legacy has been destroyed, and his power and been lost. Something that was so significant has instantly become insignificant. Destruction of his arrogance.
  • "Visage" - Connotes his face, showing how his legacy is destroyed.
• "King of kings: Look down on my words, ye mighty and despair!": Ozymandias


  • "King of kings" - Shows his arrogance, and he believes he is the 'king of god.' He thinks very highly of himself, and is very egoistical with a self centred nature.
  • "Mighty" - Representing god. He is calling the gods to look down and admire his kingdom/power.
  • "Despair!" - Connotes terror and that the gods should feel threatened, intimidated and should admire his work.
  • This quotation is in the middle of the poem, to link to how his kingdom is in the middle and in between all the sand.
• "Round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare.": Ozymandias


  • "Decay" - His kingdom is 'rotting' and will eventually be forgotten as time passes.
  • "Wreck" - His kingdom is now useless, worthless and insignificant.
  • "Boundless and bare" - Represents how far the mighty can fall.
  • "Boundless" "Bare" - Alliteration - exaggerated the levels of the decay and how his kingdom has nothing and is going nowhere.
• Ozymandias - Structure:

  • "My name is Ozymandias" - Powerful statement in the middle of the poem, just like his "Kingdom" in the middle of the sand
• Ozymandias - Form:

  • Sonnet poem - Typically about love, shows how much love Ozymandias has for himself.
  • Irregular rhyme scheme - Shows the instability of the power he has, contrasting with the ego he has.
• Ozymandias - Language:

  • "Decay" "Bare" "Remains" - Creates a lexical field of deterioration, showing how all power eventually fades and nature will always be superior to man.
• Ozymandias - Themes:

  • Arrogance of man.
  • Power of nature.
  • Power of man.