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Ozymandias

“Ozymandias”describestheruinsofanancientstatue

Theme:allisvanity

Irony:theinconsistencyofwhatissaidwiththereality(y)

3kindsofirony:dramatic,verbal,situational

gEgyptandtheSaharadert

Theme

thearroganceandtransienceofpower

thepermanenceofrealartandemotionaltruth

therelationshipbetweenartistandsubject

Structure:

Italiansonnet

rhyme:interlinkstheoctavewiththestet,bygraduallyreplacingoldrhymeswithnewonesin

theformABABACDCEDEFEF.

sound:meterediniambicpentameter

thepoemcanbedividedintotwoparts

Octave(thefirst8lines)—describesthefragmentsofasculpturethetraveleresonanancient

ruin

Sestet(thenext6lines)--goesfurthertorecordthewordsonthepedestalandthendescribethe

surroundingemptiness.

Technique--Irony

Theuofironyinthispoem

ymadiassaid("MynameisOzymandias,kingofkings:Lookonmyworks,yemighty,

anddespair!")andwhatisleftbehindhim(Nothingbesideremains.)"themighty"shoulddespair

—not,asOzymandiasintended,becautheycanneverhopetoequalhisachievements,but

s,thereisnoany

“mighty”aroundhisstatuenow.

vivalofthepharaohnotbecauofhisownpowers,butbythesculptor’shandthat

madehissculpture.

criptionofthedert—“boundlessandbare”Althoughthesculptureis“vastand

colossal,”afterbeingputintosuchalargespaceastheSaharadert,itwouldbeenasasmall

thingbycompare.

TheissueofArt

TheattitudetowardArtexpresdinthispoem:

ThedecayofthesculptureshowsthatOzymandiasobviouslyloshispowerandisignored.

Artistandsubject:Ozymandias’passionsurvivedbythesculptor’shand.

Octet

Thespeakermeetsatravelerfroman“antiqueland”whodescribestheruinsfoundinthedert

wrinkledlipandsneerofcoldcommand

Tellthatitssculptorwellthopassionsread--thefrownand"sneerofcoldcommand"onthe

statue'sfaceindicatethatthesculptorunderstoodwellthepassionsofthestatue'ssubject,aman

whosneeredwithcontemptforthoweakerthanhimlf,yetfedhispeoplebecauof

somethinginhisheart("Thehandthatmockedthemandtheheartthatfed").

survive—atransitiveverb—line6-8meanthatthopassions(arroganceandsneer)havesurvived

(outlived)boththesculptor(whohandmockedthopassionsbystampingthemsowellonthe

statue)andthepharaoh(whoheartfedthopassionsinthefirstplace).

mocked—withdoublemeaning:

＊tocreate/fashionanimitationofreality;toimitate

＊toridicule(InShelley'sday,thelattermeaningwaspredominant;butinthespecificcontextof

"thehandthatmock'dthem",wecanreadboth"thehandthatcraftedthem"and"thehandthat

ridiculedthem".)

SestetMessageonthepedestal

Irony

Themessageliveson,butthekingisdead

Themessageismeanttointimidate,butareweintimidatedbythedeadking?

IsOzymandiasstillthekingofkings?

HowwouldwedefinetheworksofOzymandias?

DestroyedDecaying

FinalComments(12-14)

Thesandemstobeinfinitewhilethe“colossalwreck”appearstobegarbagesittinginthe

dert.