Ozymandias

• What is Ozymandias about?

  • Tells the tale of a statue in the desert that is now decrepit and delapidated but once was a statue of the great "Ozymandias"
  • The statue is in the middle of the barren desert, with nothing around it for miles but boasts of it's great empire, might & power
  • Ozymandias' statue serves a stark reminder to all that power is ephemeral (temporary) and that all empires must fall
  • It criticises those who lust for power by portraying the memory of a once mighty king as now encapsulated by a broken monument
• What is the contextual significance of Shelley's ideologies?

  • Shelley was also anti-monarchy and a pacifist(against war)
  • "Ozymandias" can be seen as aimed at those in power, seeking to expose those who desire greatness & empires by showing the volatile nature of these things
• What the contextual significance of the monarchy at the time of writing?

  • King George III may be seen as being the inspiration for Ozymandias due to the excessive military conflicts & tyranny during his reign
• What quote reflects the decay of power?

  "Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair" to "nothing beside remains"
• How does the quote "Look on my works...despair" reflect decay of power through inevitability?

  **Dramatic irony** -> **"Look on my works"** -> statue is situated in **barren & featureless desert**

  • **Imperative verb** -> **"despair"** -> even after death Ozy sees himself worthy of commanding people -> **irony** that it is Ozy who despairs upon realisation that his works have **not withstood** the test of time
• How does the quote "Look on my works..despair" reflect decay of power through eternity?

  • Shelley uses **bathos** (anti-climax) to criticise the **volatile nature of power**
  • Contrast between **"works"** of Ozy to the **desolate desert** shows how **regardless of the magnitude of tyrannical power one holds, it is not sempiternal** (forever-lasting)
• What quote reflects the insignificance of pride?


  "sneer[ing]" and "cold"
• How do the quote[s] "sneer[ing]" and "cold" reflect the insignificance of pride through the personification of the statue?

  • The description of the statue is constrasted

  The personification may be suggesting that despite all of Ozymandias' **opulence** (great wealth) and might, the only sentiments that survive from his reign are **damaging & destructive**

  • Shelley thusly **berates (criticises) those in power** for their beliefs that power would last forever
• What quote reflects the power of nature?


  "boundless and bare" and "lone and level"
• How do the quote[s] "boundless and bare" and "lone and level" reflect the power of nature?


  **Alliteration** serving to emphasise the **vast & mighty extent of nature**

  • Whereas the human sees his power eroded & chipped away by time, nature **enjoys transcendent power**, serving only to show the **futility of human power**
• What are the two pieces of form used in the poem?

  • Sonnet
  • Iambic Pentameter
• Why is the poem strucutured as a sonnet?

  • Sonnet is a traditionally a way of writing love poems
  • Therefore, by making the statue the focus of the poem, Shelley could be making it an **object of love and respect**
  • This sentiment contrasts with the content of the poem, which in **actuality ridicules the statue**
• How is the writer's intention reflected through the sonnet form of the poem?

  • Allows Shelley to simultaneously mock Ozy's lack of love and respect, but to ridicule his **excessive hubris** that resulted in **this infatuation & love with barbaric power**
• How does the sonnet form of the poem reflect change?

  • The poem uses a blend of the **Petrarchan** (14 lines) and **Shakespearean** (irregular rhyme scheme) sonnet
  • Shows how even old ideas, such as everlasting power, can be changed & evolved
• What is iambic pentameter?

  Each lines has ten syllables (daDUM x5, similar to a heartbeat)
• Why is the poem in iambic pentameter?

  • It is used as a **motif of control**

  Iambic pentameter is used throughout the poem in order to **demonstrate the frightful regularity of the oppression by those in power on those they rule**

  • Its use so regularly may also suggest that there is **no way to break free**- they are constrained by the **oppressive tyrant** that rules them
• What is the structural significance of using enjambment?

  • Shelley uses enjambment freely throughout the poem, in lines such as **"antique land/ Who said"** in order to contrast with the tight one stanza that the poem is structured in
  • This may be Shelley commenting on the **illusion of freedom** under a tyrant's reign as all the **enjambment in the poem is still constrained**
• How could we alternatively interpret Shelley's use of enjambment?

  • Alternatively, it may also be Shelley **commenting on the human desire to be free** despite the constraints placed on them by oppressive rulers