Ozymandias by Percy Shelley (1792-1822)
Themes:
- Power of Nature
- Power of humans (or lack of)
- Pride
Context- Shelley was a Romantic poet. He disliked the monarchy, absolute power and the
oppression of ordinary people. He was inspired by the French Revolution where the
monarchy was overthrown.
Plot- narrator meets a traveller who tells him of a statue of a king which stands in the desert.
The king is Ozymandias (also known as Rameces II) who is now dead. On the inscription of
the statue, the king boasts of his power. The statue has fallen down and crumbled away.
Language Features:
● the semantic field of size “vast”, “boundless”, and “bare” - this is ironic because his
power is minuscule
● The semantic field of ruin “sunk”, “nothing”, “bare”
● Angry language shows tyranny
● Irony shows the temporary nature of political power
● Sibilance, sinister tone
Structural Features:
● Has 14 lines, so carries the structure of a sonnet. Sonnets are typically love poems
but this sonnet is not romantic.
● Irregular rhyming shows that Ramaeces’ power is broken
KEY QUOTES:
“Shattered visage”
- This shows irony: because even humans cannot predict nature and the effects of
time
“king of kings”
- Lack of capital letter > he is still a king but is not worthy of a title > lack of power
- Arrogant > he challenged other rulers
- Biblical allusion > as if he is trying to be God
“Colossal wreck”
- Oxymoron > he seems mighty but is actually destroyed
- the ruined statue shows how human achievements are insignificant to the power of
time > the powerlessness of humans
“lone and level sands stretch”
- Alliteration of “l” > shows the empty space in the desert > statue is abandoned
- sibilance: sinister, cold
- “sand” > hourglass > time has run out on his power
- The desert is vast, it has outlived the statue
, London by William Blake (1757-1827)
Themes:
- Power of Humans
- Loss
- Anger
Context- Blake believed in social and racial equality and questioned the Church’s teachings.
He looked at how innocence is lost and how society is corrupt.
Plot- the narrator is describing a walk through London. He meets people in misery and
despair everywhere he goes. People in power seem to be the cause of the issues and do
nothing to help those in need.
Language Features:
● Juxtaposition: everything is affected, and nothing pure remains
● Emotive language
● Repetition of “mark”, poor are branded with their situation
Structural Features:
● Dramatic monologue seems more personal
● Regular rhyme scheme, poverty is normal
● Anaphora, everyone is affected it seems
KEY QUOTES:
“Chartered Thames does flow”
- Even powerful, natural features are under human control and affected by the city's
issues > power of humans
“Mind-forged manacles”
- Mental chains > trapped in their situation even by thoughts and attitudes
“hapless soldier’s sigh”
- Sibilance, cold
- At the time England had a big, powerful empire > this contrasts to the view at the
time because soldiers are bored
“Marriage hearse”
- Oxymoron > links happiness of marriage with death. Everything is linked to death >
vicious cycle for the poor > loss
“black’ning church”
- Could link the pollution from the Industrial Revolution
- This could mean that the Church is corrupt because it doesn’t help people
Themes:
- Power of Nature
- Power of humans (or lack of)
- Pride
Context- Shelley was a Romantic poet. He disliked the monarchy, absolute power and the
oppression of ordinary people. He was inspired by the French Revolution where the
monarchy was overthrown.
Plot- narrator meets a traveller who tells him of a statue of a king which stands in the desert.
The king is Ozymandias (also known as Rameces II) who is now dead. On the inscription of
the statue, the king boasts of his power. The statue has fallen down and crumbled away.
Language Features:
● the semantic field of size “vast”, “boundless”, and “bare” - this is ironic because his
power is minuscule
● The semantic field of ruin “sunk”, “nothing”, “bare”
● Angry language shows tyranny
● Irony shows the temporary nature of political power
● Sibilance, sinister tone
Structural Features:
● Has 14 lines, so carries the structure of a sonnet. Sonnets are typically love poems
but this sonnet is not romantic.
● Irregular rhyming shows that Ramaeces’ power is broken
KEY QUOTES:
“Shattered visage”
- This shows irony: because even humans cannot predict nature and the effects of
time
“king of kings”
- Lack of capital letter > he is still a king but is not worthy of a title > lack of power
- Arrogant > he challenged other rulers
- Biblical allusion > as if he is trying to be God
“Colossal wreck”
- Oxymoron > he seems mighty but is actually destroyed
- the ruined statue shows how human achievements are insignificant to the power of
time > the powerlessness of humans
“lone and level sands stretch”
- Alliteration of “l” > shows the empty space in the desert > statue is abandoned
- sibilance: sinister, cold
- “sand” > hourglass > time has run out on his power
- The desert is vast, it has outlived the statue
, London by William Blake (1757-1827)
Themes:
- Power of Humans
- Loss
- Anger
Context- Blake believed in social and racial equality and questioned the Church’s teachings.
He looked at how innocence is lost and how society is corrupt.
Plot- the narrator is describing a walk through London. He meets people in misery and
despair everywhere he goes. People in power seem to be the cause of the issues and do
nothing to help those in need.
Language Features:
● Juxtaposition: everything is affected, and nothing pure remains
● Emotive language
● Repetition of “mark”, poor are branded with their situation
Structural Features:
● Dramatic monologue seems more personal
● Regular rhyme scheme, poverty is normal
● Anaphora, everyone is affected it seems
KEY QUOTES:
“Chartered Thames does flow”
- Even powerful, natural features are under human control and affected by the city's
issues > power of humans
“Mind-forged manacles”
- Mental chains > trapped in their situation even by thoughts and attitudes
“hapless soldier’s sigh”
- Sibilance, cold
- At the time England had a big, powerful empire > this contrasts to the view at the
time because soldiers are bored
“Marriage hearse”
- Oxymoron > links happiness of marriage with death. Everything is linked to death >
vicious cycle for the poor > loss
“black’ning church”
- Could link the pollution from the Industrial Revolution
- This could mean that the Church is corrupt because it doesn’t help people
