In the poem Ozymandias Shelley explores the consequences of the passage of time

on the greatest achievements of humanity to communicate the idea of just how

powerless mankind is to the ravages of time

Shelley, a Romantic poet is known for the exploration of ideas like power and
powerlessness against the backdrop of the remorseless passage of time.
The poet expresses his thoughts and feelings about the passage of time and how
mankind is a puppet in the hands of time, as is re ected in the half broken statue
of Ozymandias, the ruler whose name is re ected in the title. The poet therefore
attempts to depict the power of time and the powerlessness of the mortals in the
hands of time. The main thematic concerns of the poem are re ected in its sonnet
structure where the poet uses the octave and the sestet to explore ideas of time,
mortality and power

Shelley describes the event of meeting a traveller who describes the impact of
time on the magni cent statue of Ozymandias in a vast stretch of desert.The tone
of the poem is immediately perceived as adventurous and curious as the poet
meets this person from an ‘antique land’. ‘Antique land’ is an instance of
transferred epithet whereby antique actually describes the time frame or extreme
old age of the structures and the building that are found in this land; therefore
antique actually applies to the ravages of time in this land. Visual and kinaesthetic
images combine in ‘half sunken... shattered visage’ which describes the face and
the head of the statue, shattered and destroyed by time which is gradually
sinking into the earth beneath. The metaphorical expression of cold command
highlights just how mercilessly his ruler commanded the subjects of the land

The poet expresses the amazement and surprise experienced by the traveller as
he looks at the arrogance and pride re ected in the face of Ozymandias.The
poetic voice takes on note of being absolutely amazed at the words that are
inscribed on the pedestal of the statue. Through this remarkable visual imagery,
the inscription denotes the pride and the arrogance of the ruler. Ozymandias
declares himself to be the ‘king of kings’- thus effectively saying that he is the
most powerful king who ever ruled on this earth. This hyperbolic statement which
strongly supports the description about power. His voice is fully of kingly
arrogance as he seems to challenge the Power of Time itself,’Look on my works, ye
mighty, and the despair.’ Ozymandias asserts himself as the most powerful
creature on earth ironically, he is so very sure of his omnipotence that he thinks
his fame and glory, as also his mighty statue will survive internally and continue to
sneer down with arrogance at the ebb of humanity beneath him

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The poet looks at the powerlessness of the greatest ruler of all times and conveys
his dejection at how Ozymandias is nothing but a broken down statue- this
perception is high tended by the use of gurative language.The poet uses the
literary device of a caesura; he stops in the middle of the line signifying just how
worthless it is to challenge time. As the line continues with an enjambment which
talks about the decay of the ‘colossal wreck’ is an instance of classical allusion it
refers to colossus or a giant being in Ancient Greek mythology. The statue of
Ozymandias was as gigantic as colossus, but right now it had regenerated into a
massive wreck. Besides this wreck the desert stretches out ’boundless and bare’-
the alliteration of the ‘b’ sound stresses on the bareness of the region surrounding
the statue whereby there is no humanity to appreciate the power of Ozymandias.
‘The lone and level’- the alliteration signi es the loneliness of the king whose
power had been levelled and designated by time and nally he has been rendered
totally powerless.

The poet comments on the unique and individualistic aspects of the statue in
comparison to the general fate of humanity in the hands of time.The statue and the
inscription are still in existence and bear the evidence of ravages of time. The statue being
trunkless conveys the fact that it had been mercilessly eroded by the winds and the
sands of the desert- thus what might have been a mighty statue at one point of time has
been utterly destroyed and sunk into the sand. ‘Nothing beside remains’, at the present
time there is ‘nothing’ that this powerful king can subject to his rule time, there is no
one to marvel at his power or glory. ‘Half sunken...shattered visage’ which describes the
face or the head of the statue, shattered and destroyed by time which is gradually
sinking into the earth beneath. Shelley is trying to convey that one might be the most
powerful at one point of time but his power comes to an end at a certain point of time.

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