Language

• "I met a traveller from an antique land"


  > forms the poem as a story to make it clear that the narrator hasnt seen the statue

  > emphasises how unimportant ozymandias is

  > setting suggests absence of life

  > ozymandias has been left to decay rather than making the big impact of history that he wished to create
• "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert."


  > "trunkless" informs the reader of the lack of body therefore lack of heart (displays him as a tyrannical leader) - may signify a lack of connection between his body and brain

  > "stand in the desert." Caesura : fragmented style could show him detaching himself from his body, allowing him to view himself as godlike
• '"king of kings: look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!" Nothing beside remains' (dramatic irony) 


  > reader knows that he is just a broken statue

  > he think she has made an impact on history

  > juxtaposition : arrogant words contrast with reality now

  > caesura : shows his power and status is reduced once he dies (ironic), adds emphasis to what lines are before and after > broken up line reflects broken statue and broken reputation
• "of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, the lone and level sands stretch far away"


  > "of that..." - ruined statue suggests how human achievements are insignificant compared to the passing of time and nature

  > "boundless...level" - alliteration emphasises the feeling of empty space, the love and power the king once had has now disappeared

  > nature will spread out before us and outlive us
• "stamped" "survive" "lifeless"


  > having them all in the same line hints at how art can outline human power but the ruined statue shows that you cannot immortalise power