Discuss the ways in which the spatial context in which the poem takes place
helps us in understanding the meaning poem below:
You should pay attention to instances of foregrounding and linguistic
deviation in examining how the setting of the poem is conveyed. You may
focus on key Romantic motifs in your research on the poem.
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . .(ellipsis) Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,(consonance)
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped(sibilance) on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart(synecdoche) 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(plosives)
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
The poem "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley explores myriad themes such as
the transience of power, art, culture, and the notion of immoderate hubris
culminating in unfavorable repercussions, epitomizing the concept of authority.
Foregrounding is a literary term that refers to the technique of making something
stand out in a poem; foregrounding is used to draw attention to certain aspects of
the poem such as the spatial context, the limitations of language, and helps to
highlight the significance of certain elements in a poem. It can also be stipulated
that the poem consists of a linguistic deviation as well where there is a linguistic
failure. In terms of setting, Shelly includes the statue in the desert surrounded by
"lone and level sands." Moreover, the poem encompasses a multitude of themes
that are commonly encountered in Romantic poetry, including but not limited to
exoticism, enigma, intense emotions, irony, and a tendency to scrutinize and
evaluate those in positions of power.
To start with, the poem delves into cultural history and spatial context as the
“traveller” is exploring the “antique land”. Here, the concept of “heterotopia” by
Michel Foucault can be depicted pertaining to cultural, institutional, and discursive
domains that possess an element of alterity. The poem endeavors to examine the
notion that regardless of the grandeur of human accomplishments, they are
inherently ephemeral and susceptible to the deleterious effects of temporal erosion.
The “traveller” plays a very significant role here as it indicates that he is switching
among spaces to know more about the king “Ozymandias”. Since the poem is
about hubris, it can be correlated to an ancient existing monarch, the Egyptian
pharaoh Ramesses II; he is one of the most prestigious kings that has existed in
history and is the best example of how human power is evanescent. Shelley
employs the literary device of Distanced Narration in his composition. Specifically,
the sonnet is presented in the form of a story related to the speaker by a traveller.
This narrative technique engenders a sense of ambiguity surrounding the character
of Ozymandias. Notably, neither the reader nor the poet has had the opportunity to
visually perceive the statue. Indeed, even the poet’s knowledge of the statue is
derived from a secondary source. Consequently, the ancient ruler is depicted as a
figure of diminished authority, for the very foundation of his power is challenged.
Thus, spatial context along with the narrative technique of the I-person adds to
instances of foregrounding and aids to better understand the implications of the
poem.
Coupled with the above, the persona explores the theme of linguistic failure and
how jargon is used to convey meaning in the poem. The poem tells the story of a
once-great king whose statue now lies in ruins in the “desert”. The persona utilises
the failure of language to lay emphasis on the situational irony, that is the
invincible king now has his statue as a mere shadow of his former self. The use of
the ellipsis “Stand in the desert…” corroborates the horridness of the statue that the
speaker himself finds hard to describe, thus adding to the decaying imagery of the
statue, further er emphasising the temporariness of life. Overall, the poem serves as
an example of the limitations of language and the power of time to erode even the
most powerful of empires. For example, “lifeless things”, “decay” and “despair"
form part of the semantic field about the ravages of time. The jargon “bare and
boundless” in the poem is intended to evoke the use of plosives with the ‘b’ sounds
accentuating the harsh downfall of the monarch. Thus, the choice of words used by
the persona illustrates that whichever worldly status anyone has in this world is
only for a short period of time as the ultimate truth of life is death.
In contrast, the poem relates the significance of art and portrays how art is
epitomised by the persona. The sonnet glorifies the timelessness of art, which
outlasts civilizations and empires that are wiped out from the surface of the earth
and forgotten. It suggests that eternity can be achieved by the poet's words, not by
the ruler's will to dominate. For example, the words in the poem itself are to be
considered as a piece of art since they are communicating history to readers such as
“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone” and “Nothing beside remains. Round the
decay” Therefore, it can be argued that art has the power to transcend time and
preserve the essence of human experience for future generations.
Besides, the poem contains several Romantic motifs including the idea of the
sublime, the power of nature, and the transience of human achievement. The
shattered statue of Ozymandias, once a symbol of the Pharaoh's power and
greatness, is now reduced to a pile of ruins in the desert, overtaken by the sands of
time. Nature's power to overcome human achievements is seen in the image of the
statue of Ozymandias being overtaken by the sands of the desert. Romantic motifs
involve the idea of the sublime, or the sense of awe and wonder inspired by the
natural world, which is evoked by the vast and desolate landscape of the “desert”.
There is the use of imagination to create a vivid and emotionally resonant image of
a distant time and place, which is a hallmark of Romantic poetry. Overall,
"Ozymandias" is a quintessential Romantic poem that explores many of the key
themes and motifs of the Romantic movement.
Hence, the themes and literary devices used in the poem "Ozymandias" by Shelley,
such as linguistic failure, nested structure, and lyric subjectivity are clearly
depicted. To end, the poem is a prime example of Romanticism and Shelly’s use of
motifs helped to shape that hubris is temporary, but transience is part of the reality
of life.