AQA English GCSE
Poetry: Power and Conflict
Ozymandias - Percy Shelley
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OZYMANDIAS
Percy Shelley
Brief Summary
The poem concerns the discovery of a semi-destroyed and
decaying statue of Ramesses II, also known as Ozymandias,
and shows how power deteriorates and will not last forever.
Synopsis
● Report from a stranger of a statue in a desert
● Statue is falling apart and decaying
● The sculptor has made it in a way that portrays the cruelty
of the king
● King’s pedestal claims he was "king of k
ings"
– shows
his arrogance
● Irony of his claims when the statue is surrounded by
endless featureless desert
Context
Percy Shelley (1772-1822)
Shelley was a radical, romantic poet
; he was vegetarian, strongly anti-monarchy, a pacifist, an
atheist
, anti-religion, and supported social justice. He wanted to end the oppression of ordinary
people, inspired by the French Revolution. He got expelled from Oxford University for publishing an
atheist pamphlet and delivering it to religious figures. At 19 he got married after running off from his
first wife who killed herself. He came from a very wealthy family, and was set to have a comfortable
life with inheritance and a government role fro
m his grandfather. He was a second generation
romantic.
Romantic Era
Shelley often focused focus on the subjective and the emotional, which contrasted with
enlightenment values. During the enlightenment, writers would center their work on the beauty of
nature and simplicity of the past, with an appreciation of the sublime, the overwhelming power and
awe of the natural world. Writers would protest
the present/future of mankind by returning to the
past, and within their writing repurpose old literary conventions. There was a rejection of
institutions of power
, and poetry was used to spread messages and political ideas which
needed to be accessible to all.
Historical influences in the poem
The first reference is Ramesses II
, who was an Egyptian pharaoh from 1279-1239 BC, in fact
believed to be the pharaoh involved in Moses’ exodus. He was later defeated by the 12 tribes of
Israel, and used the throne name “Ozymandias”. He is the subject of the poem – his statue had just
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been discovered at Shelley’s time of writing, which made it a very topical piece of content to
reference in his poem. Shelley and Horace Smith had been challenged to write a poem about it.
Ramesses is remembered for his tyranny and military exploits, had a large empire over Egypt and
vassals, as well as being remembered for his defeat.
King
George III arguably has impact over Shelley’s poem, as his poem written during his reign; he
had reigned longer than any king before, but had outstayed his welcome. He engaged in many
military conflicts and was remembered for oppression and tyranny – during his rule, the 13 colonies
rebelled. Shelley was pacifist and positioned himself against Georges’ military exploits. Some
consider George III the inspir
ation for Ozymandias, who is seen historically as a tyrant.
Ozymandias
Shelley, one of the most famous poets of
his time, explores conflict in his poem
Ozymandias, which was named after the
Egyptian pharaoh, Rameses II. It is thought
that Shelley, a radical romantic poet who
often criticised society in his works, was
making implicit links between Rameses’
powerful but violent rein with that of G
eorge
III. George III reigned during the time the
poem was written, and was generally
disliked.
George III has been seen historically as a tyrant. The poem engages in these issues of power and
conflict through the discussion of a huge statue in the desert, which is of Ozymandias. All of the
pharaoh’s works haven’t lasted, and the statue is almost destroyed. This decay reflects how
exploits which
are impressive but not morally good will be criticised and forgotten about after they
end. The poem explores conflict between man and time and memory, as Ozymandias was largely
forgotten, even though he thought his memory would last forever. The poem also touches on the
power of art and words, as people may not have remembered Ozymandias, but part of the statue
remained, as well as the words plac
ed on the inscription. Overall, the message of the poem could
be considered to be a reminder that power will not last forever.
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Ozymandias
Desert suggests a
lifelessness and lack of
culture.
The image of a shattered
visage creates a sense of
irony: a King who believed
so strongly in his own
power and superiority, and
who tried so hard to
present this image of
greatness through his
statue, has now been
forgotten and destroyed by
time other than the visage
that had been intended to
show he was
unforgettable.
contemptuous/mocking
smile, remark or tone,
which connotes malicious
cruelty and heartless. It’s
like he is mocking his
subjects, and hows his
insolence and contempt for
subjects that he views as
below him. This presents
the King’s arrogance,
confidence and sense of
superiority.
This is
reflective of Shelley’s own
anti-violence stance, as he
was against all military
exploits and thus also
against the “cold
commands” that initiate
them.
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter’d visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp’d on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock’d them and the heart that
fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
Legacy is so insignificant it
is known only by travellers
– Egypt is seen as an
antique land (failed in
trying to increase
influence).
A wrinkled lip conjures the
image of someone
grimacing in disgust and
contempt, thus displaying
the king’s disregard for his
subjects, viewing them as
inferior and below him.
This antipathy is then
paired with immense
power which enables him
to exploit and torture the
people he rules with no
empathy or remorse.
Shelley can use this to
show the danger of a
single individual having
unlimited power invested in
them (be it political or
religious), as it enables
them to see all other
people as inferior and thus
derive an ability to oppress
them.
The artist’s work is
mocking the king. Sees
glory in a statue that is
criticising, yet his
confidence in his own
supremacy means he
overlooks any evidence
that contradicts their
grandeur. “Mocked” can
also be interpreted as “to
make a model of” as the
Irony of pedestal message:
pedestal by idiomatic
connotation presents his
power as undeserved
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sculptor has literally made
a model of the king -
perhaps it was not his
intention to portray him
negatively – he had a
“heart that fed” the king
through its intention to
please him - but that
simply by modelling
Ozymandias, it was
inevitable that his cruelty
would show due to it being
an inextricable part of him.
‘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,
The lone and level sands stretch far away
This claim seems ironic to
the reader when they are
known only via the report
of a traveller. Ozymandias’
pride and arrogance led to
his perception of himself as
the “king of kings”:
criticizes leaders and their
ideas of themselves and
ability to rule suggests he
views himself as
omnipotent.
The King clearly expects
his empire and kingdom to
survive, which is dramatic
irony.
Level - monotonous and
featureless – no sign of his
legacy. Lone – isolated –
statue is all that remains –
his cruelty is only
remembrance. These are
also alliterative.
The literal sand has
covered over Ozymandias’
statue; the figurative
“sands of time” have
covered over Ozymandias’
memory.
Alliterative
The statue is in a “far
away” where it stands so
insignificant and
unrecognised that only
travellers know it exists.
Egypt (the statue of the
poem exists, and
originated from the
Ramesseum in Egypt)
which Ozymandias had
tried so hard to extend and
empower.His pursuits are
condemned to failure when
the insignificance of Egypt
allows it to be dismissively
deemed “far away”
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The title “Ozymandias”
Perspective
The poem is written from the first person perspective
, however, the speaker is never revealed
nor named nor assigned any identifying characteristics. In this respect he can be considered an
omniscient
speaker.
The pronoun
“I”
is only used once in the poem, right at the start, which shows how little the
perspective actually matters. This may be intentionally to disconnect the speaker from Shelley, as
he was attempting to impart a political message through his work. Through disguising this as a
message from a fictional character he is removing any blame that society may try and pin on him,
as the writer.
The opening
I met a traveller from an antique land
The poem begins with “I met a traveller”
which Instantly passes any responsibility for the opinions
within the poem onto a (probably fictional) stranger. Shelley opens his poem with the detached
narrative
of a traveller to distance himself from the political messages of his poem.
Shelley uses Ozymandias as an allegory for King George III. This shows readers that he’s willing to
risk criticism that would have come with this move. This detachment means Shelley is free to
comment on the monarchy or religion as he wishes for the rest of the poem because the views
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expressed are being presented as the views of someone else. Equally, having the poem
communicated by reported speech
serves to trivialise the reign of Ozymandias.
Structure
Rhyme Scheme
The irregular rhyme scheme
contrasts with the single stanza as the former suggests a lack of
power and control of the ruler, whereas the single stanza suggests order. These contrasts could
reflect how different groups of people view war and conflict as either beneficial or detrimental to
society.
Sonnet
The poem blends Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets
, and Shelley does this in order to
demonstrate that all power – even the power of literary conventions – is transient and subject to
evolution.
➔ The poem takes the traditional fourteen lines and Octet-Volta-Sestet structure of
Petrarchan sonnet
➔ Whereas the irregular rhyme scheme
is closer to ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, typical of
Shakespearean sonnets, plus it uses consistent iambic pentameter
.
IAMBIC PENTAMETER | Technique where the poet
uses ten syllables in each line, with pairs of sounds
going da-DA with the emphasis on the second syllable.
However, the irregular rhyme scheme
breaks away from the sonnet form which enables Shelley
to imply how poetry and literature can defy tradition and give way to new power
. He is directly
demonstrating that conventions can be changed, replaced and edited. This is a literary attitude
characteristic of the romantic poets, who focused their work on defying old ideas be them ideas of
rhythm or religion, meter or monarchy. By adding his own style to the sonnet, he encourages the
belief that convention should never be accepted without challenge.
Sonnets are tradi
tionally love poems, and by
Shelley selecting to make the statue to
focus of the poem, it could be argued that
he is making this an object of love and
respect. This may work to disguise political
messages, whilst still focusing on the power
of nature.
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Language
Alliteration
Shelley uses alliteration
to demonstrate the vast, unending power of the desert, and to contrast
and belittle the limited power of man. The statue can be seen as a representation of human
power
– it is a king’s attempt to evade death and cement himself in history, yet it lies broken as a
“colossal wreck”
. The statue is stripped of all power as it lies broken on the floor, yet the desert
around it remains endless and overwhelming in its size.
Shelley describes it as “boundless and bare”, “lone and level”,
and this use of alliteration
serves to communicate the vast, powerful extent of nature
, and its ability to outlive all other
forms of power and deem them insignificant by comparison. It also works to present the desert as
vast, monotonous and featureless.
Consonance
The repetition of the harsh “c”
sound
helps to reflect the callous lack of
compassion the king had for his
subjects, and how oppressive his rule
was. The sound bleeds into the
reader’s perception of the king,
helping to portray him as aggressive
and callous, and also connotes
portrays cruelty and aggression. This
shows Shelley’s disapproval of
military campaigns.
The consonance
also suggests a use
of power for military aims (and indeed,
Ramesses II was remembered for his
military expansion of Egypt) without any interference from empathy or compassion. This is
reflective of Shelley’s own anti-violence stance, as he was against all military exploits and thus also
against the “cold commands”
that initiate them.
Metaphors
The poem can be seen as an allegory
. Shelley is using Ozymandias as a representation of King
George III and all figures of power. He plays with the literal and the metaphorical to create an
overwhelming sense of irony surrounding the fall of the King’s influence.
The image of a shattered visage creates a sense of irony
. The poem portrays a King who
believed so strongly in his own power and superiority, and who tried so hard to present this image
of greatness through his statue. Yet this statue has now been forgotten and destroyed by time.
Therefore, the visage of power that he wore during his reign was little more than a mask for the
true vulnerability of his authority.
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The transient and insignificant nature of human power is a key message in Shelley’s poem,
because it was this power that he wanted to reform and reassign in order to better structure a
corrupt industrialising society.
Symbolism
The use of a desert setting also strips Ozymandias of his legacy. The land surrounding the plaque
that boasts of his works is a barren, featureless wasteland, devoid of
any culture or life. The
emptiness of the desert is symbolic of how his reign was pointless and insignificant as he has been
forgotten by history. Instead he has been dwarfed by greater the greater forces of nature and time.
Oxymandias has no legacy despite his orders to “look on my works”
– they no longer exist.
➔ This has some contextual irony, as Ramesses hoped to expand power and influence of
Egypt, but it’s now just a featureless desert and “antique land”.
Sand is often associated with time. Within
the poem Shelley uses sand to show how
time can erase the power of man. The
sand has literally covered over
Ozymandias’ statue; the figurative
“sands of time”
have covered over
Ozymandias’ memory. This shows the
reader that regardless of how powerful
man becomes nature will always prevail. It
also shows that everything comes from
the earth and everything will return to it.
Focus on Power and Pride
Overall, Shelley is criticising power
. There is a negative semantic field surrounding this theme,
including the language: wrinkled / shattered / frown / sunk / sneer
. It could be argued that his
aim was to make the reader more receptive to ideas about corruption of power when paired with a
negative tone
.
The speaker is criticising Ozymandias and all he represents, including his power and pride,
suggesting that those with power are deluded in their belief of the supremacy of their power. The
statue is personified
and described as sneering, cold and mocking.
The King is confident that the legacy of his power will remain throughout history and this
confidence makes him
commemorate himself in statue.
However, the speaker sees that
the statue, and therefore the King’s
legacy, is destroyed. This is
Shelley’s use of dramatic irony,
the statue has been broken and
forgotten with his legacy and
empire having b
een reduced to
sand.
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Shelley’s Message
Shelley has sculpted his poem to reflect the oppression of powerful leaders and the
transience of mankind’s power
. It mocks rulers past, present and future for thinking they will be
any different from the previous one. The King used his power to oppress others – power allows for
oppression, pride allows for it without guilt
Shelley can be seen to be criticising systems in which individuals are given so much power that
despite their abuse of it, the population are unable to remove them because there is no a
lternative.
This ties in with his anti-religion and anti-monarchy views as he is criticising all power being
centred on a person who derives their importance from an image – a “visage”
– and perceived
divine right to power. It is his pride that gives him a sense of entitlement to power. Indeed, he views
himself as the “king of kings”.
Comparisons
Ozymandias
Tissue
Misassignment of power to humans, not
god.
Misassignment of power to leaders and
individuals, not time/nature/art.
Shelley sees loss of power as inevitable and natural, suggesting art will prevail, whereas
Dharker tries to offer solutions and a new way to treat power.
Both show a loss or undermining towards human power.
Ozymandias & My Last Duchess
Similarities
● Both poems suggest overarchingly that humanity’s pride / power is
unfounded. For example, in Ozymandias the poet shows a loss of power
over time and in competition with nature, as the characters are surrounded
by desert which is a symbol of nature and time. Similarly, MLD shows the
duke’s power constantly undermined by the enjambment, caesura and
single stanza.
● In both poems, the origin of pride is love for oneself and one’s power. This
is expressed in Ozymandias through the form of the Sonnet, as it is a love
poem to show the king’s love for himself. In MLD, the duke loves his "nine
hundred year old name" and feels entitled to authority and control because
of it
Differences
● Whilst both poets overarchingly suggest that pride and power leads to
oppression, the subjects of the oppression are different in each poem. For
MLD, the Duchess is shown as the symbol of oppression - "then all smiles
stopped" - whereas in Ozymandias the statue is used as a symbol for all
institutes or figures of power - "cold command" = cruel and harsh
oppression.
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Ozymandias & The Prelude
Similarities
● Both poems display nature as more powerful than mankind; in
Ozymandias, human power is shown as intrinsically weak and transient
and lost to time and nature. Meanwhile, in The Prelude, failed attempts of
mankind to overpower and manipulate a force beyond its control are
displayed.
● The theme of pride is key in both, it being the cause of the speaker’s
eventual fall. They both link to Milton’s Paradise lost in this sense of the
“fall of man” and also to epic poetry in general. This links to the irony of
statue in desert in the poem Ozymandias.
Differences
● Whilst both poets explore how pride is unfounded because human power
is inferior to the power of nature, they present this in different ways. In The
Prelude, the overwhelming power of nature leads to the speaker’s loss of
eloquence and how he becomes unable to define his world. On the other
hand, in Ozymandias, this power is conveyed through the symbolism of the
desert and time
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