The Poet: Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792−1822) was a Romantic poet
known for his radical views, most notably his atheism and
condemnation of tyranny, including – in his view – monarchical rule
(royalty).
He was a fierce supporter of the French Revolution.
He was often used as a symbol of rebellion as he questioned those
that fell into power through inheritance.
As he was a member of the Romantic movement, he thought the
pen was mightier than the sword and privileged art and literature
over the short lived power of individuals.

Visage = a person’s face or reference to an
expression.

Colossal = extremely large.

Pedestal = the base or support on which a
statue is mounted.

Oxymandias = another name for
Rameses II, one of the best known
and most powerful Egyptian
pharaohs, who ruled over 3000
years ago.

Rameses was responsible for a
huge amount of building works and
paid for a sculptor to carve a statue
of him with the inscription ‘Look on
my works, ye mighty, and despair’.

He wanted his statue built so his
powerful rule would be
remembered.
The title suggests the theme of power as
Ozymandias was a powerful figure in
Egyptian history.
The statue in the poem is Ozymandias, also
known as Rameses II. He was a powerful
Egyptian Pharaoh (King).
As Shelley was known to rebel against
powerful figures the reader may immediately
assume that this poem will give a cynical
account of the Egyptian ruler.
About: The poem is about Oxymandias. Irony is used throughout the
poem to highlight the discrepancy between Ozymandias’ belief that he
would remain powerful after death and the reality of the picture of ruin and
‘decay’ we see in the poem: the once-great Rameses is shattered, ‘halfsunk’ and isolated in the desert that was once the site of a great civilisation
of his own creation. It is likely that Shelley told the tale of the fall of this
once-great king to make a general statement about politics in his day.
Themes: power and the temporary nature of power; ‘pride comes
before a fall; the power of art.
Tone: the tone is purposefully ambiguous as the narrator and the
traveller remain impartial. Shelley uses the ‘voice’ of the king himself to
mock the arrogant character of a man who believed he was closer to God
and had limitless power.
Structure
Form
Language features
The poem is
written as a
sonnet but does
not stick closely to
the form. This
possibly shows
Shelley’s
determination to
rebel against
conventions.
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: `Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear -"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.'
The poem starts with the narrator who tells us he
met a traveller. ‘Antique’ suggests an ancient
land.
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: `Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
The quotation marks signals the
‘voice’ of the traveller.
‘vast’ and ‘trunkless’ set up dichotomy
between power and weakness. The size of
the sculpture shows Ozymandias’
ambitions for greatness and
everlasting glory. ‘trunkless’ is the main
part of the body which tells us only the
legs stand, while the face lies on the floor.
‘stamp’d’ suggests the
sculptor didn’t respect
Oxymandias.
Here the poet refers to the face of the statue that
lies shattered and broken in the sand. This
creates irony as Ozymandias thought the statue
would represent his power.
Half sunk, a shatter’d visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp’d on these lifeless things,
Shelley compliments the sculptor as a bit of
Ozymandias’ statue remains – while there is no
evidence of any of the works built by
Ozymandias. He compliments the artist’s
ability to capture Ozymandias’ cruelty and
vanity through art on ‘lifeless’ mediums such
as stone.
‘wrinkled’, ‘sneer’ and ‘cold’ reveal a
negative portrayal of Ozymandias’
character. It suggests he was a cold
hearted and cruel ruler.
The ‘hand’ represents all artists that have the
power to ‘mock’ even the most powerful
leaders through their art.
The hand that mock’d them and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
The ‘despair’ was originally meant to show
that nobody could ever hope to compete with
Ozymandias’ glory. He wanted his people to
see the buildings he had created and feel fear
at his power. However, read now, the word
‘despair’ seems to show the despair the ruler
may feel if he saw the ruins. It shows the
power of dictators is illusory and temporary.
The quotations show that this is
Ozymandias speaking. The words are now
ironic as the statue no longer boasts
power and authority but shows weakness
and decay.
‘colossal wreck’ shows a
dichotomy between two
images – vast but destroyed.
The use of caesura (midline fullstop) makes the
reader pause for effect – to think/to show the
isolation of the statue and the lack of legacy
Ozymandias has left as no buildings remain.
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
The double alliteration in this line: lone/level
and sands/stretch; followed by the assonance
on the long ‘a’ vowel sound of ‘far away’ are
used to show how lonely and empty and
barren the desert is. Again, this is ironic.
Alliteration to emphasise the emptiness
around the statue.
The
highlighted
words show
the decay and
loneliness of
the statue
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: `Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear -"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.'
Q
Ozymandias is a famous Egyptian King. He built many buildings and created a
statue which was supposed to show his power. He thought his legacy was
indestructible. However, the statue now lays destroyed by nature and time and the
buildings are gone. Shelley is showing how power of individuals doesn’t last. The
poem is heavily ironic.
L
Words which show a dichotomy between power and weakness. Words which
show decay and loneliness. The use of alliteration and assonance in the final
lines. The double meaning of the quote on the pedestal. The compliments to
the sculptor which privilege art over dictatorship.
S
The different voices in the poem. The use of caesura to show the isolation of
the statue.
F
Sonnet with three different voices: the narrator starts, then the traveller and
then Ozymandias who says: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
T
Theme of power is implied, Ozymandias is made immortal through the poem
but not in the way he intended.
Historical Figures/learning from history:
‘Checking Out me History’

Loss of power:
‘Horse Whisperer’

Arrogance and the corruption of power:
‘My Last Duchess’
‘The River God’
