Ramesses The Great By Percy Bysshe Shelley: Poem Analysis

Around 1279 BCE to 1213 BCE, a pharaoh by the name Ramesses the Great, also known as Ozymandias, became the ruler of the nineteenth dynasty in ancient Egypt. When Percy Bysshe Shelley heard of the decayed statue of Ramesses the Great, he decide to base a poem, Ozymandias, on the ancient pharaoh. Ozymandias is one of Shelley’s most famous works due to the vast assortment of literary context, including the imagery, the deeper meaning of word choices, and the different morals that could be concluded from the poem. The poem, between the setting and the statue, is full of imagery. The first setting described in the poem is when the first speaker meets the traveler, the second speaker, and describes he is “from an antique land”. It is not …show more content…
He truly believes that there is not another single person more powerful, stronger, or intelligent then he is. Ozymandias wants every single one of his accomplishes, like his powerful empire, to be remembered until the end of time. He even challenges God when he says, “Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” Ozymandias believes his accomplishments are so magnificent that will discouraged God from trying to beat his success and triumphs. Ozymandias sees himself as one to be desired because of his success, power, and riches, but he didn’t comprehend that not everything will last forever. Even though the surroundings of the statue are nothing but sand that seems to stretch forever, a person could gather that the statue was probably the center of an empire when it was built. So Ozymandias did achieve his desire to be remembered after everything else he worked for had disappeared, only it did not last