POETRY ANTHOLOGY

• Ozymandias


  The Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II, also known as Ozymandias
• Synopsis


  1. Report from a stranger of a statue in a desert

  2. Statue is falling apart and decaying

  3. The sculptor has made it in a way that portrays the cruelty of the king

  4. King's pedestal claims he was "king of kings" – shows his arrogance

  5. Irony of his claims when the statue is surrounded by endless featureless desert
• Desert suggests a lifelessness and lack of culture.
• The image of a shattered visage creates a sense of irony: a King who believed so strongly in his own power and superiority, and who tried so hard to present this image of greatness through his statue, has now been forgotten and destroyed by time other than the visage that had been intended to show he was unforgettable.
• Wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command

  Contemptuous/mocking smile, remark or tone, which connotes malicious cruelty and heartless. It's like he is mocking his subjects, and hows his insolence and contempt for subjects that he views as below him. This presents the King's arrogance, confidence and sense of superiority. This is reflective of Shelley's own anti-violence stance, as he was against all military exploits and thus also against the "cold commands" that initiate them.
• The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed;
• The claim "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" seems ironic to the reader when they are known only via the report of a traveller. Ozymandias' pride and arrogance led to his perception of himself as the "king of kings": criticizes leaders and their ideas of themselves and ability to rule suggests he views himself as omnipotent.
• The King clearly expects his empire and kingdom to survive, which is dramatic irony.
• The literal sand has covered over Ozymandias' statue; the figurative "sands of time" have covered over Ozymandias' memory.
• The statue is in a "far away" where it stands so insignificant and unrecognised that only travellers know it exists. Egypt (the statue of the poem exists, and originated from the Ramesseum in Egypt) which Ozymandias had tried so hard to extend and empower. His pursuits are condemned to failure when the insignificance of Egypt allows it to be dismissively deemed "far away"
• The opening "I met a traveller from an antique land" instantly passes any responsibility for the opinions within the poem onto a (probably fictional) stranger. Shelley opens his poem with the detached narrative of a traveller to distance himself from the political messages of his poem.
• Shelley uses Ozymandias as an allegory for King George III. This shows readers that he's willing to risk criticism that would have come with this move. This detachment means Shelley is free to comment on the monarchy or religion as he wishes for the rest of the poem because the views expressed are being presented as the views of someone else. Equally, having the poem communicated by reported speech serves to trivialise the reign of Ozymandias.
• Rhyme Scheme


  • Irregular rhyme scheme contrasts with the single stanza
  • Suggests a lack of power and control of the ruler
  • Whereas the single stanza suggests order
• Sonnet


  • Blends Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets
  • Demonstrates that all power - even the power of literary conventions - is transient and subject to evolution
• Petrarchan Sonnet


  Takes the traditional fourteen lines and Octet-Volta-Sestet structure
• Shakespearean Sonnet


  1. Irregular rhyme scheme closer to ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

  2. Uses consistent iambic pentameter
• Iambic Pentameter


  Technique where the poet uses ten syllables in each line, with pairs of sounds going da-DA with the emphasis on the second syllable
• The irregular rhyme scheme breaks away from the sonnet form which enables Shelley to imply how poetry and literature can defy tradition and give way to new power
• Shelley is directly demonstrating that conventions can be changed, replaced and edited
• This is a literary attitude characteristic of the romantic poets, who focused their work on defying old ideas be them ideas of rhythm or religion, meter or monarchy
• By adding his own style to the sonnet, he encourages the belief that convention should never be accepted without challenge
• Sonnets are traditionally love poems

  By Shelley selecting to make the statue the focus of the poem, it could be argued that he is making this an object of love and respect
• This may work to disguise political messages, whilst still focusing on the power of nature
• Alliteration


  • Demonstrates the vast, unending power of the desert
  • Contrasts and belittles the limited power of man
• The alliteration serves to communicate the vast, powerful extent of nature, and its ability to outlive all other forms of power and deem them insignificant by comparison
• The alliteration also works to present the desert as vast, monotonous and featureless
• Consonance


  • Repetition of the harsh "c" sound helps to reflect the callous lack of compassion the king had for his subjects
  • Portrays the king as aggressive and callous
  • Connotes cruelty and aggression
• The consonance also suggests a use of power for military aims without any interference from empathy or compassion
• This is reflective of Shelley's own anti-violence stance, as he was against all military exploits and thus also against the "cold commands" that initiate them
• Allegory


  Shelley is using Ozymandias as a representation of King George III and all figures of power
• The image of a shattered visage creates a sense of irony
• The poem portrays a King who believed so strongly in his own power and superiority, and who tried so hard to present this image of greatness through his statue, yet this statue has now been forgotten and destroyed by time
• The transient and insignificant nature of human power is a key message in Shelley's poem, because it was this power that he wanted to reform and reassign in order to better structure a corrupt industrialising society
• Symbolism


  • The use of a desert setting strips Ozymandias of his legacy
  • The emptiness of the desert is symbolic of how his reign was pointless and insignificant as he has been forgotten by history
  • Ozymandias has no legacy despite his orders to "look on my works" - they no longer exist
• The sand has literally covered over Ozymandias' statue; the figurative "sands of time" have covered over Ozymandias' memory
• This shows the reader that regardless of how powerful man becomes nature will always prevail
• It also shows that everything comes from the earth and everything will return to it
• Focus on Power and Pride

  • Shelley is criticising power
  • There is a negative semantic field surrounding this theme
  • The speaker is criticising Ozymandias and all he represents, including his power and pride
• The King is confident that the legacy of his power will remain throughout history and this confidence makes him commemorate himself in statue
• However, the speaker sees that the statue, and therefore the King's legacy, is destroyed