Percy Bysshe Shelley "Ozymandias" is a sonnet that he wrote in a sonnet writing contest. "Ozymandias"is the Greek name for Ramses II, the man thought to be the pharaoh of Exodus whom Moses challenged. In this poem Shelley tells of the rise, peak and fall of this king. The king who thought that his name would live on forever had such pride, self-confidence or aggrogance, which results in fatal retribution.
The sonnet started off by telling the story that was heard from a traveller who was from "an antique land." In this poem instead of a great and lasting king that pharoah of Exodus expected to be, he is nothing but merely a ruined king heard from a traveller. Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the dessert.....Near them on the sand, half sunk, a shattered visage lies" (lines 2-4, page 399). The words used to describe the statue is very important in this poem. Words such as "vast and trunkless" gives the impression that this figure was very hugh and powerful. Now the trunkless legs of stone stand in the dessert, tells of the ruin state of this large image. Half sunk tells of Ozymandias deminishing status in the present world.
Words such as, "whose frown, and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command" (line 5, page 399) tells of the king cold yet strong and commanding nature. This was experienced by the sculptor because the sonnet mentioned that its sculpture well those passions read. "The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed" (line 8) refferred to the way Ozymandias treated the people. He was harsh and very cold insisting that the people worked hard to build up his kindom. All the people got for their hard work was some food in order for them to be healthy to keep on working.
"And on the pedestal, these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
These verses suggest that the king seemed to have a great amount of pride in his work. He compared himself to the King of Kings which echoes ironically against the subsequent application of this title to Christ. He believed that all rival kings would look at his great work and despair. However, the sonnet ends on a depressive note similar to John Keets poem, "When I have fears". Today, nothing is left of his name and works, just as there is nothing really left of the statue as stated in these words, “Nothing beside remains” (line 12). All that is left around the statue is, "The lone and level sands strech far away."
Ozymandias was a mighty and powerful king who thought that his kingdom would last forever; however the sonnet tells us that nothing last forever. Today, looking on the staute once a massive and powerful object that was placed on a pedestal is now in decay. An object they thought will be of lasting fame is in decay and all that seems to last is the dessert in which its ruin lies.
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2 comments:
Anthony,
Good focus on and insightful observations about Shelley's "Ozymandias." The nice thing about sonnets is that compress a lot of meaning into a very compact form, and in your post you do a good job of unpacking some of that meaning.
One question I would ask, though, is whether you would interpret the ending as bleak or, as you did in your discussion of Keats's sonnet, in a more Christian and positive manner. (Also, would the fact of Shelley's atheism be a factor in trying to interpret the poem?)
Keep up the good work!
Anthony,
I enjoyed reading your post as I wrote on the same poem from Shelley. I, however, think we focused on different things. The only passage I would really think we had the same thought on was your last one mentioning "Ozymandias was a mighty and powerful king who thought that his kingdom would last forever; however the sonnet tells us that nothing last forever." Maybe, you could have compared it to immortality. What was the king trully looking for deep inside? What was the reasoning behind that thought of "lasting forever?" You mentioned words like pride, self-confidence and arrogance when you described the king which I completely agree with. Good job!
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