Essay on Percy Bysshe Shelley's Ozymandias

Both initially poems follow a strict structure, which presents the idea of power and control immediately. For example, in Ozymandias, the fourteen-line poem has a similar form to that of a Shakespearean sonnet, a form of poetry that could represent strict tradition. However, as the poem continues, the rhyme scheme breaks down into more of a free verse, with less structured rhyme and the introduction of caesura, for example “Nothing beside remains. Round the decay” in line twelve. The crumbling of a traditional structure could mimic the destruction of the “colossal wreck” that is the statue, or more metaphorically the breakdown of Ozymandias’s

In conveying the issue of time and nature, the poet introduces a traveler from an ‘antique land’, who sees the remains of a vast statue, which gives this poem’s meaning. The antique land refers to a place in pass civilization that no longer exist. The poet uses certain language to express the idea in a more understanding, visual way. The statue reflects Ozymandias’ power and the attitude he holds against others. The facial expressions sculpted in the statue are a mockery of those who he viewed as less prominent in the society. “And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command” (Shelley 4). The poet used Ozymandias’ sneer to convey his attitude towards others as uncaring and rude, as he thinks that he holds a great power among everyone else. Shelley used the phrase “cold command” to also emphasize Ozymandias’ sneer, to imply that he was selfish, not caring about the situation of

Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote this poem "Ozymandias" to express to us that possessions do not mean immortality. He used very strong imagery and irony to get his point across throughout the poem. In drawing these vivid and ironic pictures in our minds, Shelley was trying to explain that no one lives forever, and nor do their possessions. Shelley expresses this poem’s moral through a vivid and ironic picture. A shattered stone statue with only the legs and head remaining, standing in the desert, the face is proud and arrogant, "Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read"(lines, 4-6).

He describes the face of the statue as “Half sunk, a shattered visage lies” referring to the way the face of the statue, which by the nature of statues should be high in the air, is lying on the ground half buried. He goes on to describe the “frown,/ And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command” enshrined in the facial features of the statue, and remarks on how the detail must have come from the sculptors familiarity of those expressions on the face of the man. Another detail Shelley contributed about the statue was the description of its size: “that Colossal wreck” refers to the enormity of the statue, which leads one to believe that Ramses was inflating his own ego, as well as providing yet another way the pharaoh alienated himself from the common people and tried to alienate himself from other rulers. Also interesting is Shelley’s use of the word “colossal” to describe the statue, as it refers to the Colossus of Rhodes that was build over the harbor leading into Rhodes as a tribute to the sun god Helios. Ramses’ attempt to elevate himself to the status of a god similar to Helios was unsuccessful, as the decay and destruction of the statue revealed how impermanent one man’s time on earth is in the grand scheme of the

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was born in 1791 in London. She is the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft and William Goodwin. Wollstonecraft was a radical feminist writer, and Goodwin was a writer as well as a philosopher. It was said that this couple's combined intellect was dangerous to society; however, days after Mary's birth, Wollstonecraft died due to complications from the pregnancy. Mary spent a lot of time visiting her mother's grave when she was growing up. Her father taught her how to spell her mother's name by having her trace the letters on the headstone with her fingers, an interesting yet morbid way to teach a seven year old how to spell. Goodwin raised Mary by himself for the early part of her

Shelley dwells little on the small details of Ozymandias' face, but by Ozymandias' frown, wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, delivered in less than two lines, immediately carry to the reader a vision of a cold, callous, yet strong and determined leader who is commanding his people building his great vast statue hoping his power would be immortal. These concrete items are vital to the description, but are not as strong as what can not be seen. Shelley gives a nod to the talent of the sculptor, from whom Ozymandias received a mirror image of his personality, placed in stone because of his thinking to survive

The characterization of Victor’s creature, the monster, in the movie although somewhat dramatically different from Mary Shelley’s portrayal in the novel Frankenstein also had its similarities. Shelley’s views of the monster were to make him seem like a human being, while the movie made the monster out to be a hideous creation. The creature’s appearance and personality are two aspects that differ between the novel and movie while his intellectual and tender sides were portrayed the same.

In Ozymandias, the narrator speaks of an “antique land” that he’s travelled to and comes across a statue which is the King Ozymandias (who is the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II.) The structure of the poem is written in an petrarchan

The creature of the novel Frankenstein is intelligent, naïve, powerful and frightening. He seeks vengeance, kills three people, and haunts his creator to the end of his (Frankenstein’s) days. Why? What inspired and what enraged the creature so much so that he felt this was the only path to pursue?

Writers of the Romantic Movement often expressed a spontaneous outpouring of feelings through nature-related symbols and imagery. In “Mutability”, Percy Shelley was no exception to other Romantic writers; he used these impulses of powerful feelings to express the inevitable change that everything in the universe undergoes. Ironically, Shelley claims that the only thing that will remain the same forever is mutability itself. While Shelley claims that everything is changing, he focuses on the mutability of the human species and its individuals. To illustrate humans as mutable, Shelley makes use of poetic elements such as imagery and specified diction. Therefore, “Mutability” ironically shows that the universe, specifically mankind, is

Shelley Percy is one of the most highly regarded Romantic poets of the 19th century. Many of Shelley’s poem tell about the nature of the human condition. In many of his poems Shelley use elements of nature (seashells, the wind, the ocean, etc.) to discuss truths about the human condition. Percy Shelley examines the one consistent characteristic of being human in his poem “Mutability”. In his poem “Mutability” Shelley shows the fragility and unpredictability of the human condition.

Shelley’s version of “Ozymandias” pays particular attention to the details of what remains of Ramses’s statue. Shelley conveys to the reader that no matter how powerful a ruler may be, their influence will fade with time. The description of what Babylon looks like when the poem was written gives the reader a clear

The king Ozymandias has a great amount of pride for what he has accomplished during his time as ruler. He had a sculptor erect a massive statue of him, which shows how highly he thought of himself. The pedestal of the statue stated "My name is Ozymandias king of kings: / Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" (Shelley, 136, 10-11).

By calling himself “king of kings”, he alludes to God and believes he is greater than all other men. He ruled his kingdom solely on the fear of those beneath him. The intimidating language on the pedestal and the statue made for him display that Ozymandias possessed almighty power. To end the poem, Shelley writes, “Round the decay of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The line and level sands stretch far away.” As time passed, the sand literally destroyed the symbol of what was once the greatest man alive.

On of the most influential romantic English poets of the 19th century was Percy Bysshe Shelley. He was born August 4th 1792 to Sir Timothy and Elizabeth Pilford Shelley in Field Place, Horsham, Sussex, England. (Crook) Shelley was the oldest of six children. He had one brother, John and four sisters, Mary, Elizabeth, Hellen, and Margaret. His family lived a very comfortable lifestyle, especially his dad’s father, Bysshe Shelley whom owned quite a few estates. Shelley’s father was also a member of parliament.