Ozymandias

• Context

  • Shelley was a radical, Romantic poet
  • Shelley was also anti-monarchy and a pacifist. "Ozymandias" can be seen as aimed atof these things.
  • Shelley was also an atheist, and strongly against religion.
  • Ozymandias was the Greek name for the Pharaoh Ramses II, believed to be the pharaoh of Moses' Exodus.
  • Ozymandias' statue had just been discovered at the time of writing, making it a topical piece of work.
  • King George Ill may be seen as being the inspiration for Ozymandias due to the excessive military conflicts and tyranny during his reign.
• with a wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command 


  The personification may be suggesting that despite all of Ozymandias opulence and

  might, the only sentiments that survive from his reign are damaging and destructive. Shelley thusly berates those in power for their beliefs that power would last forever.
• Look on my works


  This quotation encapsulates the sentiment that Ozymandias utilises dramatic irony to communicate a sense of inevitability towards the breakdown of power as the statue is situated in a barren and featureless desert. Irony is further reiterated in the second part of the line where it turns the "mighty" to "despair". The imperative verb "despair" serves to show how even after death Ozymandias still sees himself as worthy of commanding The irony is that it is Ozymandias who would despair upon the realisation that his works have not withstood the test of time.
• “look on my works, ye mighty” and despair to “nothing beside remains”


  Shelley also uses bathos to criticise the fickle nature of power, shown in the lines "look on my works, ye mighty, and despair" to "nothing beside remains". The stark contrast between the "works" of Ozymandias to the desolate desert serves to show how regardless of the magnitude of power one holds, particularly tyrannical power, it is not sempiternal
• Half sunk, a shattered visage lies


  The irony of the king's hubris and vanity in his appearance and 'visage' leading him to commission a statue that, instead of reflecting his desired image, embodies his cruelty and indifference. The diction on 'shattered' illustrates that now only fragments of the shattered statue remain, symbolising the collapse and decay of tyrannical authority.
• ”boundless and bare“ to “lone and level”


  The usage of alliteration serves to emphasise the vast and mighty extent of nature. Whereas the human sees his power eroded and chipped away by time, nature enjoys transcendent power, serving only to show the futility of human power. Shelley's setting of the poem in the desert is also significant as it is a wasteland that is

  culturally bankrupt and empty
• boundless and bare 


  This echoes the sentiment that everything has come from the earth and as such must return to it; Ozymandias' power has returned to the barren and endless desert from where it derived from.
• Sonnet - Form


  The poem is set as a sonnet, traditionally a way of waiting 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. The sonnet form allows Shelley to simultaneously mock Ozymandias' lack of love and respect, but to ridicule his excessive hubris that resulted in this infatuation and love with barbaric power.
• Iambic Pentameter - Form


  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 over those they rule. The regular use of this may also suggest that there is no way to break free; they are constrained by the oppressive tyrant that rules them.
• Rhyme Scheme/One Stanza - Form


  Shelley contrasts the fact that the poem is in one stanza with its irregular rhyme scheme; the irregular rhyme scheme suggests freedom and lack of oppression, whereas the single stanza connotes tight control coupled with the lack of individual expression.
• Enjambment - Structure


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


  Despite the frequent use of enjambment, suggestive of the illusion, Shelley uses end stops more frequently towards the second half the poem - “despair!”, “bare” and “away”. The end stops could symbolise how human power is transient and semi-permanent- it is easily curtailed by nature's omnipotence. The last line adhering to this idea as it creates a sense of finality with the full stop after "away". Shelley reaffirms how the only element of certainty there is regarding power, is that of nature.
• Similarities w/ MLD - Themes

  Both show the impact of pride. In

  Ozy, it focuses on the hubris of its titular character, and how his belief in the transcendence of his power, and his own might led to his ultimate downfall. His once large empire erase from history as his statue becomes erased in the sand. In MLD it explores ideas of how pride permeates into interpersonal relationships. The Duke's oppression of his wife and her eventual demise all stemmed from his ego and pride.
• Similarities w/ MLD - Themes 2.0

  Both show abuse of power. In Ozy, it

  focuses on how Ozymandias abused his power in order to give an appearance of might and power and in doing so, neglected his people. This is shown in his own statue not being one that exudes

  benevolence, but rather one

  that exudes cruelty. In MLD,

  The Duke uses his authority over the weaker Duchess in order to control and sway her, an unjust use of power that culminates in her death.
• Differences w/ MLD - Themes

  Whereas in Ozymandias, the character meets his eventual downfall at the hands of time and nature, no such relief is offered in MLD. Rather the Duke is moving on to find a new wife.
• Similarities w/ MLD - Form

  Both use one large stanza as opposed to multiple short ones. This serves to illustrate the tightness of the control exerted by both the tyrants. There is minimal room for deviation or expression, rather the entire poem is condensed into one stanza.
• Differences w/ MLD - Form

  MLD uses a regular ABAB rhyme scheme, in order to further reiterate that control and regularity to the reader. This is contrasted with the irregular rhyme scheme in Ozymandias, which provides at least some hope for freedom and expression.
• Similarities w/ MLD - Structure

  Both use enjambment, In Ozymandias this usage could be in order to comment on the illusion of freedom under the rule of a tyrant or in order to express the innate human desire for freedom. Alternatively, in MLD the enjambment used gives it the sense of spoken word as well as making the poem seem less organised.
• Similarities w/ MLD - Context

  Both are using a historical figure to comment on contemporary societal issues. By framing their poems as historical they lesson scrutiny upon themselves as well as providing something to stimulate the imagination of the reader.
• Differences w/ MLD - Context

  Both fall on opposite sides of the coin. The Duke is a privileged, power hungry man who oppresses all those below him, the exact personality type that Shelley is fiercely critical of.