Ozymandias

• Ozymandias describes himself as "King of Kings". What does this mean?

  That Ozymandias is all-powerful - The phrase "King of Kings" is hyperbole and is used to show that Ozymandias is all powerful. He may have thought he was a ruler of everyone and a God, but this wasn't the case.
• What statements best describes what the traveller refers to?

  1. He refers to the desert, the inscription and then the parts of the statue.
  2. He refers to the desert, the parts of the statue and then the inscription.
  3. He refers to the parts of the statue, the inscription and then the desert.


  3 - The traveller talks about the parts of the statue, then the inscription at the bottom, and ends with a description of the desert. This structure allows the reader to see how the statue has been ruined, what it was there for, and how it is now completely insignificant in the vast surroundings of the desert.
• What is one word from line 13 that comes from the same semantic field as "vast"?

  "Vast", "colossal" and "boundless" all come from the same semantic field as words meaning "large".
• What word completes the quotation from "Ozymandias"?"I met a traveller from an __________ land"

  Antique - The place in which the poem is set is part of an ancient history. Note that the speaker of the poem hasn't been there himself. The poem, written in 1819, was inspired by the discovery of a statue of an Egyptian Pharaoh.
• What two words complete the quotation from "Ozymandias"?"Half sunk, a __________ __________ lies"

  Shatter'd visage - This is the face of the statue, lying broken in the sand.
• What word completes the quotation from "Ozymandias"?"Look on works, ye Mighty, and __________"

  Despair - There's an irony to this inscription - there is now nothing left to "look on". The tone of the inscription reveals the dead Ozymandias' arrogance.
• Which of these quotations is most relevant to the theme of power being lost in the poem?

  1. "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair"
  2. "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings"
  3. "stamped on these lifeless things"
  4. "Round the decay / of that colossal wreck"

  4 - The word "colossal" reminds us of the former scale of the statue - and what this represented - but the words "decay" and "wreck" show that any power is now long gone.
• What word completes the quotation from "Ozymandias"?"sneer of __________ command"

  Cold - The alliterative description, and the word "sneer", hints at the cruel way Ozymandias perhaps ruled. "Cold" also reminds us of the stone statue itself.
• What word completes the quotation from "Ozymandias"?"Round the decayof that colossal wreck, __________ and bare,the lone and level sands stretch far away."

  Boundless - The alliterative description shows the vastness of the empty desert. Other than the ruined statue, there is nothing left of Ozymandias' kingdom. The sand also represents time.
• What word completes the quotation from "Ozymandias"?"Two vast and __________ legs of stonestand in the desert."

  Trunkless - The body of the statue is missing; only the legs, which are huge, and face remain. It adds to the mystery of the story being told.
• What two words complete the quotation from "Ozymandias"?"Tell that its sculptor well those __________ __________"

  Passion reads - The sculptor has captured Ozymandias' powerful personality clearly
• The traveller tells the poet that he has seen "two vast and trunkless legs of stone" in the sand. What is he referring to?

  The traveller is referring to the ruined statue of Ozymandias.
• True or false? The poet is recalling seeing a statue in the desert.

  False - The poet tells us in the opening line: "I met a traveller from an antique land/ Who said…". Even though the poem is a first person narrative, Shelley is telling someone else's story
• How does the poet present Ozymandias?

  1. The poet suggests that Ozymandias was a cruel and arrogant king.
  2. The poet suggests that Ozymandias was a good and just king.
  3. The poet suggests that Ozymandias was worshipped like a God.
  4. The poet suggests that Ozymandias loved art as much as his people.


  1 - The poet suggests that Ozymandias was cruel and arrogant. He refers to the "sneer of cold command" on the face of the statue. He also refers to the inscription in which Ozymandias sees himself as "King of Kings" and wants others to "despair" at his power.
• Which of these words fits the best in the blank?The poet presents the power of nature by creating a vivid __________ between the "colossal wreck" of the ruined statue and the "boundless and bare" sands of the desert.

  Contrast
• Which technique is used in the quotation, "Look on my works, Ye Mighty, and despair!"?

  Irony - Irony occurs when what is said or done is the opposite of what has happened. In this case, the inscription is supposed to be a declaration of power, but it is part of a ruined statue lying in sand.
• Which technique is used in the quotation, "Nothing beside remains. Round the decay"?

  Caesura - A caesura is a break of meaning and rhythm in a poem. "Nothing beside remains" comes after the traveller has read out the inscription of the poem. The short, sharp words used here could show how Shelley does not feel upset about the fate of Ozymandias and his statue.
• The quotation "the hand that mocked them" could have a dual meaning. What could it mean?

  The sculptor moulded the statue with his hand, The sculptor made a joke when he made the statue and The sculptor wanted everyone to see the true nature of the king

  This is the least likely meaning, since there is nothing in the text to suggest this. The double meaning is on the word "mocked" as it can mean "to make" or "to create". It can also mean to "to joke" or "to make fun of".
• What best completes this sentence?Shelley uses a significant verb in "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" This is the first line on the inscription on the statue and Shelley uses the "Look" to __________.

  Show how commanding and arrogant Ozymandias was - It describes the exact effect of the word. It is part of a command which ends in an exclamation and shows how Ozymandias' tone and general demeanour were all about his own greatness.
• The poet refers to Ozymandias' statue as "shatter'd", "lifeless" and a "colossal wreck". What do the words (together), suggest to the reader about Shelley's attitude towards power figures?

  Power is contemporary and can never last* - Shelley and others, were seen as radical and thought that power was corrupting. His poem about a dead and forgotten leader in a forgotten land can be read as Shelley telling his readers that * , no matter how invincible rulers think they are. The use of "shatter'd", "lifeless" and "colossal wreck" underlines how fragile power (and the symbols of power) truly are.
• Imagine you are writing an essay about how Shelley uses his poem as an allegory about the futility (pointlessness) of power. What quotations would be the best example of this?

  Nothing beside remains - This cold, stark statement shows how even though Ozymandias was rich and great when he was alive, the power of nature and time have ensured that none of that power remains. This idea of the power of nature and the insignificance of humans was a key concept and belief system followed by Shelley and other Romantic poets such as Wordsworth, Keats and Coleridge.
• Which statement best describes the form of this poem?

  1. a lyrical ballad with a traditional rhyme scheme
  2. a sonnet with a traditional rhyme scheme
  3. a sonnet with an non-traditional rhyme scheme
  4. a dramatic monologue with iambic pentameter

  A sonnet with a non-traditional rhyme scheme - Shelley has written a sonnet, as it has 14 lines with a turning point at line 9. However, the rhyme scheme is not traditional. This perhaps reminds the reader of how order and regime can easily be dismantled. Shelley does use iambic pentameter - but it is not consistent throughout the sonnet.
• Essay analysing how Shelley presents the temporary nature of power. Which of these poems has the closest connection to "Ozymandias" in the way the author approaches this theme?

  Tissue - Imtiaz Dharkar's "Tissue" is about the fragile nature of human power and how nature and time are ultimately more powerful and will outlast any human achievements. It is an interesting connection, as both poems use allegory and imagery to create this theme.