Ozymandias

Percy Bysshe Shelley

 Who is Percy Bysshe
Shelley?
• Percy Shelley was a Romantic poet
• Romantic means he followed the movement of Romanticism. This
was when they wanted the world to change. They disliked violence,
cities, and people who controlled others. They wished for a better
world. Other people viewed this as “impossible” and “romantic”.
• He had “radical” (wild or crazy) views on the world including
bringing down the Monarchy, the Church and freedom in marriage.
• He was not considered a good poet in his lifetime.
• He married Mary Shelley, who went on to write Frankenstein and
was far more successful than him.
• He died at the age of 29, from drowning while trying to row to Italy.
Some background
information on Ozymandias:
• Ozymandias was written in 1818.
• It was named after an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II, also
known as Ozymandias, whose broken statue was on display in the
British Museum in London.
• In 1818, Britain was ruled by King George III; Percy Shelly was very
critical of Kings and rulers who had a lot of unelected power. He
felt that Kings and Queens did not deserve the power they had.
• King George III was also a military king, who had waged a lot of
wars overseas, and gained colonial control of a lot of places
(including New Zealand). Ozymandias was a military Pharaoh.
Their similarities were shocking.
• When the Ozymandias statue was put on display, he felt this
showed that some day, monarchy in Britain would end – just as
the rule of the Pharaohs had ended in Egypt.
Percy Shelley believed that Ozymandias’ rule had been transient (not
permanent), and his downfall would eventually happen to the British
King, King George III.
What are the big ideas in
the poem?
• Power is Transitory = Power does not
last forever
• Religion is corrupt – criticism of the
church
• Dislike for Ozymandias = Dislike for
King George III
• Rulers should not be
absolute/unelected
How can we see that Power is Transitory in
the poem?
• “Shattered visage”
• This is a Metaphor. The statue of Ozymandias has been destroyed physically. But also, his empire
has been lost over time, his power has gone, therefore his appearance of power and strength has
also been destroyed. He is no longer impressive or scary. Percy Shelley feels this way about King
George III. He hates the way he walks around with this façade (fakeness) of being impressive and
amazing, when in reality he could be destroyed by the people. His army is made up of the people,
and his empire could easily come crumbling down, just as Ozymandias’ empire did.
• “King of Kings”
• This is Irony. Once, Ozymandias was the most important person. But not anymore. Percy Shelley is
saying that Power is Transitory, it does not last forever.
• “Nothing beside remains. Round the decay”
• This is foreshadowing. This is showing how the British Empire one day WILL be. The Egyptians once
had a huge empire, that Ozymandias was king of. But now its just a crumbling mess in the desert.
The remains are in museums.
How can we see Religion is Corrupt in the
poem?
• “King of Kings”
• This is an Oxymoron. This is the name for God in the Bible – yet Ozymandias is calling
himself that – it is criticising how humans think they can rule over nature and others.
• “Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare”
• This is imagery. The great Egyptian temples of old, have gone to nothing. The Jews
had to flee Egypt and were treated badly by the Christians. There is no good religion
according to Shelley, and it should not be encouraged. It is a “wreck” of humanity.
• “the hand that mock them and the heart that fed”
• People are led by their heart to religion, but then they get slapped down by the hand
of it. They are treated badly in the name of religion. Many people use their religion
as a tool to force others to do things. For example, Ozymandias forced people into
slavery. The British believed they had to bring Christianity to the world. Shelley did
not see religion as a force for good, and used the poem to fight against it. Many
people would have seen this in the time period when Shelley lived.
How can we see Shelley’s dislike for the
King in the poem?
• “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings”
• This is Irony. Ozymandias was once a great and powerful leader who could not be stopped. His huge
empire of Ancient Egypt seemed everlasting. Now there is nothing left of the Egyptian empire apart
from the crumbling ruins of the pyramids, and his own statue is broken in a museum. Percy Shelley is
hoping to show to King George III and the rest of the British Monarchy that one day, they too will be as
irrelevant as Ozymandias.
• “Look on my works”
• This is imagery – this is asking the reader to consider all the bad things that Ozymandias has done.
Ozymandias is a symbol for King George III, so it is asking the reader to think about all the bad things
that King George has done. He has waged war, he has bought and sold slaves, there is poverty in Britain,
there are many problems – yet the King is still rich and happy.
• “The sneer of cold command”
• This is alliteration. The hard “c” consonant sound suggests that Ozymandias is a harsh ruler who does
not care about his subjects. It is the same as King George III. He cares about being in power; having
status, money, and more land. Percy Shelley finds this disgusting.
How can we see Rulers Should
not be Absolute in the poem?
• “Stamped on these lifeless things”
• Ozymandias did not care about anything but power
when he was alive. He rule absolutely, and
unopposed. He squashed all his enemies. The only
enemies he could not squash were death and time.
• “Two vast trunkless legs”
• This suggests that his statue once towered over
everyone, like his power. Just the size of the statue,
suggests how much power he had.
 What type of poem
is Ozymandias?
• The style of the poem is what is called a sonnet.
• This is a 14 line poem that has a distinct rhyming style.
• There are two main types of sonnets.
• One is Italian which became most popular in the
13th century. The most famous poet to use this style
was called Petrarch. Italian sonnets are sometimes
called Petrarchan sonnets.
• The other type of sonnet is the English sonnet
which came about in the 15th century. This was
made most popular by Shakespeare. These styles of
sonnets are usually called Shakespearean sonnets.
• Percy Shelley actually used a mixture of the two styles,
so it is neither Italian nor English.
• However, it definitely has rhyming, 14 lines, and the
rhyming is in “couplets”. This means that the rhymes are
in pairs.
Let’s look at the Sonnet
A
• Here is the rhyme sequence in the poem. B
• Each letter on the line rhymes with the other letter. A
B
• Most people consider it to be an Italian sonnet, A
C
because it is in TWO parts. The ABAB part, and the D
EFEF part. C
E
• However, there is the bit in the middle, CDCDED, D
which does NOT fit this Italian sonnet style. E
F
• An English sonnet tends to have the CDCD in the E
middle. F

• This is why it is mixture of both.

Watch

•https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=
PV_EeGJmWqA&feature=youtu.b
e
 
•This video gives an analysis of the
poem and extra information you
might want.