![]() Percy was a major player in that literary scene with shorter works such as Ozymandias (1818), Ode to the West Wind (1819), and To a Skylark (1820), all well-known and studied still in many introductory literature courses. We began with this desolate image of the 'trunkless legs.Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) and his second wife, Mary Shelley (married 1816 and author of Frankenstein, 1818), are known to many as classic English Romantic period authors. Near them, on the sand, 4Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown, 5And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, 6Tell that its sculptor well those passions read 7Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, 8The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed 9And on the pedestal, these words appear: 10My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings 11Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! Analyzing a poem is not an easy thing to accomplish for me. The sonnet is about the ruins of a statue of Ozymandias. It portrays his superior status, being able to make people stop to listen, making his words seem even more significant. They: Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things This is an interesting pair of lines. The viewer should actually despair when he sees the pitiable condition of the statue of Ozymandias as it lies broken and destroyed in the sand. It encourages us to consider the ultimate fate of our own works and accomplishments, and to be mindful of the dangers of hubris and pride. ![]() "Ozymandias" is a poignant and thought-provoking poem that serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of human power and achievement. The inscription is a testament to Ozymandias' ego and self-aggrandizement, but it also reveals the emptiness of his boasts. Ozymandias declares himself "king of kings" and encourages others to look upon his works and despair, but the reality is that his works are no longer there to be seen, and all that remains is a broken and ruined statue. The poem is a reminder of the impermanence of human achievement, and the ultimate futility of trying to achieve lasting greatness.Īnother theme of the poem is the contrast between the grandiose words of the inscription and the reality of the broken statue. ![]() Despite the pride and hubris of Ozymandias, his kingdom and works have crumbled and been forgotten, just like all the other empires and civilizations that have come and gone before him. One of the main themes of "Ozymandias" is the fleeting nature of human power and greatness. Round the decay / Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare / The lone and level sands stretch far away." The poem ends with the lines: "Nothing beside remains. However, his power and works have now been reduced to nothing more than a broken statue in the desert, a mere shadow of his former greatness. The speaker of the poem reflects on the inscription and the ruined statue, and concludes that Ozymandias was once a powerful and mighty ruler. The traveler also tells the speaker of an inscription on the pedestal, which reads: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: / Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" ![]() The statue is of Ozymandias, and it is described as "two vast and trunkless legs of stone." The rest of the statue has crumbled and is lost to time, leaving only the legs standing. The poem begins by describing a traveler who tells the speaker of a broken statue he saw in the desert. The poem is a sonnet, a form of poetry that consists of 14 lines and a strict rhyme scheme. The title refers to the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II, who was also known as Ozymandias. "Ozymandias" is a poem written by Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1817.
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