The Somenm Ruler: Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Shelley’s poem and depiction of Ozymandias could be a symbolic way of promoting his views against the monarchy, as he depicts Ozymandias as a tyrant with harsh descriptions such as “a sneer of cold command” and mocks him with the juxtaposition of “king of kings” and “colossal wreck”. However, instead of obviously putting forward his views and risking negative exposure, Shelley distances himself from the poem with intriguing use of multiple perspectives. The poem begins with “I met”, a first person introduction, but quickly switches to the traveller’s perspective as Shelley depicts what the traveller saw. In this way, he subtly puts across his socialist views without incriminating himself through symbolism and distancing himself from the narrative. In this way, the poem presents two powerful rulers, with Ozymandias symbolising King George.

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

In addition, a king was expected to be a role model to his people. He was a symbol of human perfection for his subjects to emulate like in our president today.

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).

In this essay, I will compare and contrast two different sculptures from two different contexts of art. The first being an Olmec Colossal head (monument 1), from the context of “Art of the Americas,” and the second sculpture being ahead from Rafin Kura. The head from Rafin Kura comes from the context of “Art of Africa.” Both sculptures come from two different time periods and parts of the world. They also are both made with natural materials and have their own symbolic meaning.

In Amitav Ghosh's, "In an Antique Land", the author compares his life with that of a slave named Bomma. He reveals that both men live in antique lands, foreign to their culture and surrounded by very different people. Ghosh also relates the book to Percy Bysshe Shelly's poem Ozymandias, a piece on mankind's hubris and the insignificance of the individual. Ghosh effectively juxtaposes Bomma's life with his own as he tries to find himself and unlock the slaves past through the ancient papers of the Cairo Geniza. Through historical details and antidotes, the author proves how a place can be both antique and contemporary.

The passions for power and command are chiselled into a face, but line 8 describes things that are not seen in the eye of the beholder. Shelley describes the hand of Ozymandias, which mocked, and his heart, which fed. This one line sums up the metaphysical aspects of Ozymandias' character, both described and implied. Here Shelley is telling about the reality that one day the king must leave this world. "Mocked" is particularly well worth noting, since it is one of two words which directly relate how Ozymandias, treated his subjects. A king, high and mighty, transmuted into high and mighty stone, exuding airs

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

King" was not good enough so he started calling himself the " First Emperor ", a title hey

The statue of Kouros by an unknown artist, depicts a Greek young man. He is nude representing the ideal heroic male nude. This work is symbolic because he is the representation of God, warrior, a symbolic ancestor or a victorious athlete. His large eyes were made by getting inspiration from Mesopotamia. From the frontal view, his hands are at sides, fists clenched, and striding feet. The stiff and muscular figure symbolizes that he was ready to go into war for his town, family or country. The eyes are unnaturally wide open, and the mouth forms a characteristic closed expression, also known as archaic smile. Archaic smile makes a piece more expressive. The stiff figure and frontality shows the symbolism of the piece.

A poem about a statue that has far outlived its boastful inscribers, albeit shattered in pieces. This discrepancy is seen between the lines 10-12, “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings/ Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!/ Nothing beside remains. Round the decay…” Clearly, these people thought they were mighty and great, but instead, they are gone and all that remains are the shattered statues. When we die, we cannot take anything with us. It doesn’t matter how rich and important someone is in life; They are nothing but a memory when they are

 The poem "Ozymandias" tells a story about a traveler, who reveals his or her story to the narrator of the poem. The author of the poem is Percy Bysshe Shelley. He keeps the interest of the poem by using constant sounds and images that are clear and concise, by supplying mystery with words that have more than one meaning, and by using a spectrum of words that capture the interpreters attention.

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 poem “Ozymandias” is considered one of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s best sonnets. It was written in 1817 and is still recognized today as its meaning still holds true. “Ozymandias” illustrates the fall of power and mortality through a once powerful king. This is shown through the pride of the king, the tyranny that the king ruled by, and the transience of his ruling and empire.

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.