Ozymandias – Percy Shelley
Ozymandias, an allegory, explores the temporal nature of human power. It serves to
inform the reader of the interim nature of human power in comparison to the passing
of time.
The poem starts off with, “I met a traveller from an antique land”, the use of “antique”
suggests an interesting story will emerge but may also refer to the loss of
Ozymandias’ power, but also how it is old and has been forgotten. It is a second-
hand recollection – the mighty pharaoh has been reduced to a small, distant story.
The poem describes a statue in a desert of a king, who ruled over a past civilisation.
His face is proud, with a “sneer of cold command” and he boasts of his power on the
inscription. Shelley plays with the literal and the metaphorical to create an
overwhelming sense of irony surrounding the fall of the king’s influence.
Ozymandias’ message of supposed immortal power is printed on to a “pedestal”,
giving idiomatic connotations of his veneration being of an underserved and foolish
nature. The significance of the statue then collapsing and falling from the pedestal
can be seen as showing that he has been removed from his position of false
superiority too, as the collapsed statue can be extended to his collapsed illusion of
power and importance. The statue can be seen as a representation of human power
– it is a king’s attempt to evade death and cement himself in history – yet it lies
broken as a “colossal wreck”. The statue is stripped of all power, as it lies broken on
the floor, yet the desert around it remains endless and overwhelming in its size –
Shelley describes it as “boundless and bare”, “lone and level”. This use of alliteration
serves to communicate the vast emptiness and powerful extent nature, and its ability
to outlive all other forms of power and deem them insignificant by comparison.
Shelly was a romantic poet and his use of irony reflects his hatred of oppression and
his belief that it is possible to overturn political and social order. The romantics also
embraced the natural power, and this is reflected throughout the poem. Ultimately,
nature has ruined the statue – suggesting that nature and time have more power
than humans could. Throughout the poem, Shelley emphasise that human
civilisation and achievements are insignificant to the passing of time.
The poem is wrriten as a sonnet, however does not follow its regular sonnet rhyme
scheme. This reflects the way that human power and structure can easily be
destroyed. This is further indicated through Shelley’s use of iambic pentamater –
which is often disrupted, reflecting how time is supreme.
Ozymandias, an allegory, explores the temporal nature of human power. It serves to
inform the reader of the interim nature of human power in comparison to the passing
of time.
The poem starts off with, “I met a traveller from an antique land”, the use of “antique”
suggests an interesting story will emerge but may also refer to the loss of
Ozymandias’ power, but also how it is old and has been forgotten. It is a second-
hand recollection – the mighty pharaoh has been reduced to a small, distant story.
The poem describes a statue in a desert of a king, who ruled over a past civilisation.
His face is proud, with a “sneer of cold command” and he boasts of his power on the
inscription. Shelley plays with the literal and the metaphorical to create an
overwhelming sense of irony surrounding the fall of the king’s influence.
Ozymandias’ message of supposed immortal power is printed on to a “pedestal”,
giving idiomatic connotations of his veneration being of an underserved and foolish
nature. The significance of the statue then collapsing and falling from the pedestal
can be seen as showing that he has been removed from his position of false
superiority too, as the collapsed statue can be extended to his collapsed illusion of
power and importance. The statue can be seen as a representation of human power
– it is a king’s attempt to evade death and cement himself in history – yet it lies
broken as a “colossal wreck”. The statue is stripped of all power, as it lies broken on
the floor, yet the desert around it remains endless and overwhelming in its size –
Shelley describes it as “boundless and bare”, “lone and level”. This use of alliteration
serves to communicate the vast emptiness and powerful extent nature, and its ability
to outlive all other forms of power and deem them insignificant by comparison.
Shelly was a romantic poet and his use of irony reflects his hatred of oppression and
his belief that it is possible to overturn political and social order. The romantics also
embraced the natural power, and this is reflected throughout the poem. Ultimately,
nature has ruined the statue – suggesting that nature and time have more power
than humans could. Throughout the poem, Shelley emphasise that human
civilisation and achievements are insignificant to the passing of time.
The poem is wrriten as a sonnet, however does not follow its regular sonnet rhyme
scheme. This reflects the way that human power and structure can easily be
destroyed. This is further indicated through Shelley’s use of iambic pentamater –
which is often disrupted, reflecting how time is supreme.
