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P3 (A) Ozymandias

Ozymandias, a sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley, explores the themes of the transient nature of power, the dangers of pride, and the relentless passage of time through the story of a ruined statue of a once-mighty king. The poem illustrates how Ozymandias' arrogance led to his downfall, as his grand empire has crumbled, leaving only remnants of his existence in the desert. Literary devices such as irony and enjambment enhance the poem's message about the futility of human achievements in the face of nature and time.

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Niranjan Kumawat
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41 views13 pages

P3 (A) Ozymandias

Ozymandias, a sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley, explores the themes of the transient nature of power, the dangers of pride, and the relentless passage of time through the story of a ruined statue of a once-mighty king. The poem illustrates how Ozymandias' arrogance led to his downfall, as his grand empire has crumbled, leaving only remnants of his existence in the desert. Literary devices such as irony and enjambment enhance the poem's message about the futility of human achievements in the face of nature and time.

Uploaded by

Niranjan Kumawat
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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P3 : OZYMANDIAS By Percy Bysshe Shelley

SHANTI NIKETAN PUBLIC SCHOOL, MANDI ADAMPUR


Introduction :

Ozymandias is a sonnet (a poem of fourteen lines – the first eight form an octave
and the next six form a sestet). written by Percy Bysshe Shelley, an English poet,
in 1818. The poem tells the story of a traveler who encounters a ruined statue in
the desert. The statue depicts a powerful king named Ozymandias, who once
ruled a vast empire. However, over time, his empire has crumbled and his statue
lies broken and decayed.
Theme :

The fleeting nature of power: The poem shows the inevitable decline of even the
most powerful rulers, suggesting that all human achievements are temporary and
ultimately insignificant.

The dangers of pride and arrogance: Ozymandias’ arrogance is depicted as a flaw


that leads to his downfall, serving as a warning against the dangers of excessive pride.

The passage of time: The poem highlights the effect of time on human creations,
suggesting that everything eventually fades away and is forgotten.

The power of nature: The poem suggests that nature is more powerful than any
human creation, as evidenced by the way the desert has consumed Ozymandias’ statue.
Sanza 1
I met a traveller from an antique (old) land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless (without the upper body) legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered (broken into pieces) visage (broken into pieces) lies, whose frown
(expression of anger or displeasure),
And wrinkled (marks of lines or folds) lip, and sneer (facial expression of scorn or hostility)
of cold (without feelings for others) command (domination or control),
Tell that its sculptor (an artist who makes sculptures) well those passions (refers to the
expressions on the king’s face) read
Which yet survive, stamped (sculpted, printed or engraved) on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked (to copy something) them, and the heart that fed;
Explanation – The poet met a traveler who came from a
remote land. He told the poet that he saw the remains of a
statue in the desert. Two huge legs made of stone stood and the
remaining part of the statue – the upper body was missing.
Another part of the statue, the face lay on the sand nearby. It
was damaged and broken into pieces. The face of the statue had
expressions of displeasure and a taunting smile. The wrinkles
and lines of the face were also there. The poet says that the
sculptor who had made the statue had read the expressions on
the Egyptian king Ramesses’s face very well as he was able to
copy them onto his statue so accurately. These expressions
continued to exist even after the king’s death through this
lifeless statue. The sculptor’s hands copied the king’s ruthless
expressions and mocked at them while the king’s stone heart
brought out these expressions on his face.
Stanza 2
And on the pedestal (the base of a statue) these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look upon my works, ye (you) Mighty (the powerful kings of the world), and despair
(without hope)!”
Nothing beside (else) remains. Round the decay (broken pieces of the statue)
Of that colossal (extremely large or great) wreck, boundless (without limits) and bare
(without the great statue of Ozymandias)
The lone (the only survivor) and level sands stretch far away.
Explanation – At the base of the statue the words – “My name is Ozymandias, king of
kings: Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” were engraved. The king
introduced himself as Ozymandias, the most powerful king. He ordered all the powerful
kings of the world to look at his huge statue and feel belittled in front of the mightiest
king – Ozymandias. The poet says that now nothing else other than this engraving
remains. The statue broke down with the passage of time and its broken pieces could be
seen lying around. The vast desert stretched all around and it seemed to be endless. The
statue of the great king Ozymandias was nowhere to be seen.
Literary Devices
Rhyme scheme: ababacdc efegeg

Alliteration: the use of the same letter or sound at the beginning of words that are close
together

cold command, survive stamped, boundless bare, sands stretch.

Synecdoche: a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed
Hyperbole: a way of speaking or writing that makes something sound better, more
exciting, dangerous, etc. than it really is

king of kings

Enjambment : Enjambment allows a thought from one line break to flow into the next,
without any punctuation

In "Ozymandias" there are numerous examples of enjambment, including "Who


said—"Two vast and trunkless legs of stone/Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on
the sand," and "Nothing beside remains. Round the decay/Of that colossal Wreck,
boundless and bare" In both examples, the line break occurs in the middle of a
sentence.
Apostrophe : A direct address to an absent person, concept, or inanimate object
“‘Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’”

Irony : Irony is when tone or exaggeration is used to convey a meaning opposite to


what's being literally said. The Ozymandias meaning is full of irony. In the poem,
Shelley contrasts Ozymandias' boastful words of power in with the image of his ruined
statue lying broken and forgotten in the sand. Ozymandias might have been powerful
when he ordered those words written, but that power is now long gone, and his boasts
now seem slightly silly in the present time.
Rhyme scheme: ababacdc efegeg

Alliteration: the use of the same letter or sound at the beginning of words that are close
together

cold command, survive stamped, boundless bare, sands stretch.

Synecdoche: a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed
Created by : Anil Yadav

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