ozymandias

• As a Romantic social reformer, Shelley employs a subverted sonnet, combining the Shakespearean and Petrarchan form. This challenge of the typical sonnet form mirrors his challenge of the authoritarian power of George III and the archaic 19th century monarchy. Additionally instead of romantic love, the poem explores hubristic self-love, condemning the absolute monarchy in Georgian England by creating an allegory of the supercilious monarchy.
• "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings"


  biblical allusion to Jesus - Ozymandias indicates hubris by equating himself with divinity.
• "shattered" "decay" "bare"


  semantic field of deterioration - ephemerality of human power
• "Nothing beside remains."


  caesura used to indicate the transient nature of human power
• "colossal Wreck"


  oxymoron - tyranny is finite, Ozymandias' autocratic power has been entirely eroded
• "sneer of cold command"


  physiognomy - status as a cruel, oppressive leader is all that remains of his legacy, this acts as Shelley's allegorical didactic message that George III will only be remembered for his cruelty