Ozymandias

The Hand That Mocked Them: An Analysis of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ozymandias” The most recognizable of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poems is “Ozymandias”, and yet despite this the poem is often discussed in terms disassociated from its origins. For example, few who have read the work know that it was conceived during a mere contest, one of the many staged between Shelley and a fellow poet (“Overview”). Even fewer can recall the poet’s name, Horace Smith, and his competing piece of the same name. Like the great Pharaoh himself, Smith’s achievements have been scattered to the winds and forgotten. Such a fate is clairvoyantly reflected in “Ozymandias”, wherein Shelley combines an atypical rhyme scheme and structure with a disembodied, fundamentally ironic tone that questions its own reliability – and emphasizes the underlying theme of power’s futility when exposed to the sands of time. “Ozymandias” is a sonnet, yet not in a precisely traditional sense; there is no…

In “Ozymandias”, the author fabricates a debris filled setting full of emptiness of what was once Ozymandias’ immense statue illustrated through the use of imagery, irony, and diction. This is turn constructs the inclusive main theme of the insignificant accomplishments humans build only to be abandoned and left to decay after our irreversible demise. Firstly we are introduced into this debris filled setting meeting another traveler who introduces us to what’s left of Ozymandias’ statue, a…

Percy Shelley's "Ozymandias" is a short sonnet that provides readers with the simple, yet powerful imagery of its fallen namesake. Based on the fallen Egyptian statue, the poem presents a clear image of mortality evocative of Alexander Pope's famous quote, "Time conquers all, and we must time obey." With the current political state of the world, I believe that this is a message that our current world leaders would do well to consider, both established tyrants like Kim Jong Un and new elects such…

Ozymandias It is often seen that passion and power are positive, progressive emotions. Depending on how much one allows these emotions to consume their life, the subject can become egocentric and careerist. This idea can be proven using many examples, one being the poem “Ozymandias” by Percy Shelley. Ozymandias, the King described in the poem, deals with the fall of his empire due to his selfish ways. Through the depiction of Ozymandias’ demeanor and the language of the poem, the Sculptor…

Depicted above are lines 11, 12, and 13 from the poem “Ozymandias” by Percy Shelley. In this sonnet, a broken statue of an arrogant king is described in a desolate place that was once his empire. Line 11 is part of the inscription on the statue itself. I was drawn to this passage by the blatant irony it presents, as I am often frustrated by man who he thinks he owns nature. Humans take extreme action to work against the natural world, such instances include the deforestation of land for…

Just as the sculptor mocked Ozymandias by putting on the face of the colossal monument a "frown / And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command," so time has also mocked him by reducing his vain boast to nothingness (CliffNotes). To fully understand how it is mocking one must know the background of this feared ruler. Ozymandias was a mighty ruler who took time to conquer as much land as possible and he did not care who he had to kill or what he had to take in order for him to get what he wanted.…

Percy Shelly the author of the sonnet Ozymandias, is an infamous poet known for his many politically radical poems denunciating institutional religion, aristocracy, and monarchy. The poem Ozymandias can be said to be one of Shelly’ most famous and most anthologized oeuvres. This poem has, and continues to make great scholars and all who reads it question its true meanings and Shelly’s intentions. Shelly did not only write this poem so that the readers would see its irony in that the only thing…

Finite Ozymandias When an individual thinks of power, the individual may have set definitions or views varying from facts, opinions, and experiences that the individual may have encountered. Nonetheless, in the poem “Ozymandias,” Percy Bysshe Shelley shows the truth of power and how one can be affected by it. Thus, in the process presents the impact of power, the extent to which it goes to, and the reality of its existence with an individual. Therefore, further disclosing that power is merely…

“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley seems to describe a story about a statue which is being told by a traveler to the narrator of the poem. From his description, the reader can determine that the statue was probably built by a vain ancient king to boast about his accomplishments. However, over the years this kingdom must have collapsed into ruins. The words used in this poem and the way the writing is gone about by its author deeply affect and create meaning and fluidity in the text. The…

Thesis and Outline of Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley Diana Greene Liberty University Thesis Thesis statement: Percy Shelley’s sonnet is somewhat of a twist of the traditional form. Shelley use the pronoun “I”, the first person poetic persona, at the beginning of the sonnet and then he cleverly moves the focus to the third person, “a traveler”, of whose words are incorporated through the last lines of the poem. The mention of a traveler in the poem promises an exciting story to…