OZYMANDIAS

 OZYMANDIAS

The poem "Ozymandias" is a powerful sonnet that examines the transience of authority, the conceit of monarchs, and the unavoidable decay that comes with time. It is written in a unique structure that blends elements of the Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnet forms.

 

The speaker starts by narrating the story that a traveller from an ancient land (Egypt) told him. This narrative device distances the reader from the events, emphasising how even stories of the once-mighty fade into hearsay. The traveller describes the remnants of a massive statue lying in decay in a huge desert. Only two enormous legs are standing, and a broken face (visage) is partially buried in the sand close by.

 

The expression on the face, which depicts a "frown, and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command", remains intact despite being fractured. This striking imagery implies that the king (Ozymandias) was arrogant, proud, and authoritarian. To demonstrate that art can maintain truths even after empires fall, Shelley gives the sculptor credit for depicting not only the king's appearance but also his attitude and underlying brutality.

 

On the pedestal of the statue is an inscription that reads:

"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

This boastful claim reflects the king's pride and belief in the greatness and permanence of his achievements.

 

This declaration is quite ironic, though, because the area surrounding the statue is a barren, empty desert—"boundless and bare / The lone and level sands stretch far away." Nature has taken back the land, and his "works" are no more. As a result, the poem turns into a powerful commentary on the futility of human pride, the transient character of political authority, and the timeless power of nature and time.

Themes Highlighted:

• The transience of human power
• Irony and hubris of rulers
• The power of art and memory
• Time is the great eraser of all human glory

Poetic devices used

Here are the major poetic devices used in the poem "Ozymandias" by P. B. Shelley, along with examples and explanations:

 

1. Irony

Example:
"Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

• This is dramatic irony. The king boasts about his greatness, but all that remains is a ruined statue in an empty desert. His pride is rendered meaningless by time.

2. Imagery

Example:
"Two vast and trunkless legs of stone / Stand in the desert..."

• Vivid visual imagery helps the reader picture the ruined statue and desolate surroundings.

 3. Alliteration

Examples:

• “cold command”
• “boundless and bare”
• “lone and level”
• Repetition of consonant sounds enhances the musical quality and emphasises the desolation and tone.

4. Enjambment

• Several lines flow into the next without a pause, which creates a natural, storytelling rhythm.
  Example:
  "Who said—‘Two vast and trunkless legs of stone / Stand in the desert...'"

5. Metaphor

• The statue itself is a metaphor for human arrogance and the illusion of permanence.

 6. Symbolism

• Ozymandias’s statue: symbolises human pride and the desire to be remembered.
• Desert sands: Represent time and nature that erases all human efforts.

7. Personification

Example:
"The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed"

• The sculptor’s hand and the king’s heart are given human qualities to show emotional expression and artistic intent.

8. Sonnet Form

• The poem is a 14-line sonnet, combining Petrarchan and Shakespearean elements in structure and rhyme.

Central Idea

The central idea of "Ozymandias" is the impermanence of human pride and power as well as the inevitable nature of deterioration. Shelley illustrates how even the most powerful and arrogant monarchs will finally be forgotten, their empires turned to dust over time, with the image of a shattered statue in a wide, desolate desert.

The poem ridicules the ego of people who think their legacy will endure forever and emphasises the pointlessness of human aspiration. All that is left of Ozymandias, who once commanded reverence and fear, is a broken sculpture with a humorous inscription. All remnants of human greatness are erased by time and nature, which are stronger than any monarch.

In essence, Shelley reminds us that time humbles all, and only art or memory may outlast the monuments of pride.