Ozymandias

BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

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 shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
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.”

Poetic Devices:
Imagery: The poem creates vivid mental images, such as "trunkless legs of stone," "shattered visage," and "lone and
level sands."
Metaphor: "The lone and level sands stretch far away" metaphorically represents the passage of time and the
insignificance of human achievements.
Personification: "Tell that its sculptor well those passions read" personifies the statue's features, suggesting the
sculptor's understanding of human emotions.
Alliteration: The repetition of the "s" sound in "sneer of cold command" and "survive, stamped" adds rhythm and
emphasis.
Irony: The inscription on the pedestal, "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" is ironic because it contrasts
with the desolation and decay described in the rest of the poem.
Symbolism: The statue and its ruined state symbolize the transience of human power and the inevitability of the
passage of time.
HOMEWORK:
Imagine that Ozymandias comes back to life and as he sees the condition of his statue, realisation dawns on him
and he pens down his thoughts in a diary. As Ozymandias, make this diary entry in about 150 words. You could
begin like this:
I thought I was the mightiest of all but…