Context : Shelley wrote this poem when Elizabeth 1st wielded great power.

His message was that great

leaders and great empires (such as the British Empire), however colossal, are doomed to decay. This poem
was inspired by the delivery of part of Rameses statue to the British museum. The use of a Petrarchan
sonnet form could reflect Shelley's arrogance, skill and competitiveness with his friend. This supports the
message of the poem e.g. Ozymandias had supreme confidence in his legacy and empire but this was
misplaced as all that remained was the literary and artistic record.

Suggests old and

An ironic memorial Ozymandias steeped in history but
to the ego of a
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) also out of date/old
great pharaoh
fashioned
whose statue is an
allegory for the
Visage = face.
eventual end of I met a traveller from an antique land
power everyone Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone 'Shattered', 'wrinkled',
must suffer - 'sneer' - negative and
Stand in the desert . . . Near them, on the sand,
especially the aggressive tone builds a
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
proud. Power, like negative impression of
the statue is lost to And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
the leader - links to
the sands which Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Shelley's view of the
represent time. Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, British Empire
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
Pun - 'mock' to Its face is broken,
And on the pedestal these words appear:
make a model of unrecognisable. A statue
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: to someone and we can
and also to make
fun of Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!' no longer tell who so it
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay has no purpose
Ironic as there is Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare anymore.
nothing left The lone and level sands stretch far away. Sneer of cold command
suggest Ozymandias'
Contrast with Colossal means vast or huge Tone indicated by '!'is character as powerful
previous two - it is a metaphor for his ego. strong and authoritative. and arrogant. This is
lines for irony Powerful adjective and Ironic again as no one is ironic as there is nothing
oxymoron to exaggerate the listening left
former greatness of his
empire and the vulnerability
of such leaders to the
ravages of time Alliteration of boundless and bare/lone and
level/sands stretch emphasises the huge and
empty wasteland. Endless desert.
There are four voices in this
They outlast the statue, juxtaposed with power
poem:
and ego. Sands are iconic of time.
The poet/narrator

The traveller Compare

Ozymandias Power of nature - Prelude, Storm on the Island, Exposure
The sculptor Presentation of Human Power, pride and life represented in art - My
Last Duchess
Themes: Power of Nature, Decay, Pride
Tones: Ironic, rebellious
Compare with:
Power of Nature: Prelude, Storm on the Island, Exposure
Presentation of Human Power, Pride and Life represented by Art: My Last Duchess
Decay: Tissue
Content, Meaning and Purpose
The narrator meets a traveller who tells him about a decayed stature that he saw in a desert of a long
forgotten ancient King, the arrogant Ozymandias, self-titled, "king of kings". The poem is ironic and
one big metaphor designed to show that human power is only temporary – the statue now lies
crumbled in the sand, and even the most powerful human creations cannot resist the power of nature.
Sand is often used to symbolise time and its power of humans.
Summary
Ozymandias was a powerful ruler who boasts about himself as a ‘king of kings’, perhaps once, one of
the most powerful men in the world. The poem uses irony; pointing out that now all that remains is an
arrogant boast on a ruined statue. Ultimately the poem is a warning to all leaders - downfall is
inevitable, nothing, no matter how powerful, lasts forever.
Language, form and structure
The arrogance of Ozymandias is shown in the description of his ''shattered visage'' which wears a sneer
of cold command’. The king's arrogance has been recognised by the sculptor, the traveller and then the
narrator. The use of the imperative ''Look'' in the inscription highlights his commanding tone.
However, this is also ironic, '' Look on my works ye mighty and despair'', he is telling other ‘mighty’
kings to admire the size of his statue and ‘despair’, however the real reason for their despair should be
because power is only temporary. Although his works have disappeared, ''nothing beside remains'',
'‘The lone and level sands stretch far away.'' So nature reigns over what was his domain, the desert is
vast, lonely, and lasts far longer than not only his works but also his statue.
The poem is written as a sonnet (14 lines) but the conventional sonnet structure is disrupted from the
volta at Line 9 ''these words appear'', this reflects the one key message of the poem - human structures
can be destroyed or decay. This is further intensified by the disruption of the iambic pentameter.
The octave describes the statue in parts to show its destruction. The final couplet focuses on the huge
and immortal desert to emphasise the insignificance of human power and pride.
Contextual influence
Shelley was a poet of the ‘Romantic period’ (late 1700s and early 1800s) and, as such he focuses on the
emotion and the power of nature. Shelley also disliked the concept of a monarchy and the oppression
of ordinary people. He was inspired by the French revolution, when the French monarchy was
overthrown, which adds weight to his warning for ''mighty'' leaders.