Preview

Commentary on the Poem “Ozymandias King of Egypt�? by Percy Bysshe Shelley Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
964 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Commentary on the Poem “Ozymandias King of Egypt�? by Percy Bysshe Shelley Essay Example
The poem “Ozymandias King of Egypt”, being a very powerful poem, is generally a poem about power and is written as a short, structured and rhyming story which discusses the meaning of life and the changes going on in the world all the time. “Ozymandias King of Egypt” is actually a sonnet. It has fourteen lines and iambic pentameter and is divided into octet and sestet which makes it a Petrarchian sonnet. The rhyme is present, as it should be in a proper sonnet, but no clear rhyme scheme is used and this makes the reader think that something is out of order. I think that the rhyme scheme represents the difference between the way the king thought future was going to be and the reality, his future was out of order as well as the rhyme. This sonnet deals with a number of important themes like power, difference between the reality and hopes and the changes in the world which never leave anything the same way it was. It has a lot of irony in it, it sounds like the poet is mocking Ozymandias who was used to be powerful and confident, who thought himself unconquerable and who was in fact conquered and stayed there, with his head lying on the sand and with his shame shown to everyone who passes by. In this poem there are three voices; the author who starts the story as a first person: “I met a traveller …”, the traveller who actually tells the whole story: “two vast and trunkless legs of stone…” and Ozymandias who calls himself “king of kings” and fills this poem with irony. Instead of ruling people and inspiring fear in them, as he was sure he will be, his words are turned into a mockery and instead of being the “king of kings” he turns up to be the king of fools. The statue is described as a "colossal wreck boundless and bare" and this totally contradicts the reason for which it was built. The condition of the stones described by Shelley only highlights the despair of the king described by sculptor's hand. The sculptor gave us a picture of a powerful king
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Marble Stele Analysis
    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Marble Stele Analysis

    The monument is in a very good condition although some part of the stone are chipped off. The overall form and figure were kept in a very good condition; therefore, it shows the advantages of using marble. Since marble is a long lasting material, the work that created on marble stone would last longer than other materials. But at the same time marble stone is a very hard material to carve on, and it would take more time to create a piece of art than using any other materials. Also, the transportation would be hard, because it is very heavy, so damages would…

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Literary Techniques In Ozymandias
    • 1541 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Literary Techniques In Ozymandias

    Shelley uses adjectives of scale and irony to show how Ozymandias’ (Ramesses ii) was an egomaniac and a megalomaniac because he had such a…

    • 1541 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    the differences of power between poems 'Ozymandias' and 'The River God'
    • 600 Words
    • 3 Pages

    the differences of power between poems 'Ozymandias' and 'The River God'

    An Immediate difference between the poems that are linked to power would be how the poets have presented the character with power. In ‘Ozymandias’ we are immediately told of “two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert.” These are the remains of a statue of Ozymandias when he was a ruler, we can immediately tell he is a man of power by the fact he had a large stone statue made of him. Whereas with ‘The River God’ his appearance does not immediately show power, in fact it shows the complete opposite. The first two lines of ‘The River God’ read “I may be smelly and I may be old, Rough in my pebbles, reedy in my pools”. Here we are hearing the voice of the river god describing his appearance; which does not strike us with powerful motives.…

    • 600 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Loyalty In Beowulf
    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Loyalty In Beowulf

    great enemies and then at the climax of the poem is defeated by the dragon and…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Comparing A Modest Proposal And Ozymandias
    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Comparing A Modest Proposal And Ozymandias

    Shelley that speaks about the morality of an empire and how everything will eventually be gone and people will forget about it in a time far away. An interesting use of the title by Shelley helps relate to the idea of people forgetting about someone/something. Ozymandias was the “king of kings” (Cioffi) at his time and was an iconic pharaoh that everyone would have known back in their time. Today, he is pretty obscure in common history unless you truly love history or if you are taking a class in it. This shows how even the most iconic people of a time will eventually be forgotten and considered nothing by the common population. In the sonnet, Shelley uses many different voices in terms of who is talking in this short poem. There is a speaker, traveller and the recorded words of Ozymandias “And on the pedestal these words appear: My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!”.(Shelley) This quote shows how this is well past Ozymandias’s time and they are looking at his work engraved on a pedestal. An interesting aspect in the poem is how civilizations and governments eventually falter and fall apart. This creates an idea of how art and politics cooperate. This poem looks at short-lived tyrants and long-lived empires that eventually fell apart. I feel like those who made art or appreciated art encourage change in politics when those who do not enjoy it, hate the idea of change in a government. Artists…

    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Tone in "The Destruction of Sennacherib"
    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Tone in "The Destruction of Sennacherib"

    In the beginning of this poem, the speaker describes the might of the enemy army to the reader. He says that the Assyrians were ruthless and that they were a force feared by all. To describe their ferocity, he compares them to wolves coming down on a flock of sheep. When a predator such as a wolf attacks a prey it usually does so without warning and without mercy, so we can picture this army just appears on the edges of the territory, ready to strike and kill or enslave as many people as they can. He also says that "the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea ", which causes the reader to not only picture this army of vicious Assyrians at the edges of the kingdom, but also to see the spears that they were carrying shining in the light, a pretty scary thing if you were inside of that city. (1080)…

    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Comparing The Epic Of Gilgamesh Vs. Noahs Flood
    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Comparing The Epic Of Gilgamesh Vs. Noahs Flood

    to 1362 B.C., was an unusual ruler. Under his reign, conservative, tradition-bound Egypt experienced a revolution that affected every aspect of life. Akhenaten was a talented poet, and this poem, as well as several others, has been attributed to him. But Akhenaten’s break with tradition must have seemed too shockingly revolutionary for the Egyptians, who for centuries had recognized and worshiped approximately eighty gods, each of whom took a different form and represented a different power. As soon as their radical pharaoh died, the Egyptians returned to the worship of their traditional…

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Melissa Louise
    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Melissa Louise

    However, In the poem ‘Ozymandias’ the tone created by Percy Bysshe Shelley connotes the idea of past occurrences. It can create the image that power is only…

    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ap Literature an Author to Her Book
    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Ap Literature an Author to Her Book

    The sonnet begins with the words, “Thou ill-formed offspring,” demonstrating
the speaker’s perilous and somewhat despised attitude towards the book. Albeit, the following line shows a polar sense of indebtedness of the book’s blind allegiance with the words: “Whoafter birth did’st by my side remain.” No matter how terrible the book may be or how negative the reaction of critics, the book will always remain loyal to the author. The metaphorical semblance of a mother simply cements the loyalty of such a bond. However, the binary opposition between love and
disdain continues throughout the poem, and likens to the complex relationship between mother and child. This antagonism between love and hate symbolizes a mother’s cold-heartedness towards a fetus she perhaps did not desire. However, the birth of the child, like the publishing of the book, softens the mother’s heart and she finds comfort in the unquestionable loyalty. The opposition and eventual changing of heart bolsters both sincerity and loyalty, solidifying the poem’s tone.…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    When I Too Long Have Looked Upon Your Face
    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages

    When I Too Long Have Looked Upon Your Face

    “Impenetrable gloom” surrounds the last six lines of this sonnet as the speaker describes her inner emotions when not with her lover. Her life alone becomes “a narrow room” in which she is miserable and unhappy. The speaker draws within herself, and becomes…

    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    "The Hidden Journey": Response to the poem "Ithaca" by C.P. Cavafy.
    • 738 Words
    • 2 Pages

    "The Hidden Journey": Response to the poem "Ithaca" by C.P. Cavafy.

    The central theme of the poem "Ithaca" is based on the meaning of life, and the journey that one takes through life. The importance of "[praying] that the road is long" (line 10) is stressed continually throughout the poem. The poet emphasizes the idea that one should not "hurry the voyage at all" (line 23). Experience and wisdom are gained throughout time and the aging process. It is also learned through the poem that it is important to take time for things that one finds enjoyable. Such things as "mother-of-pearl and corals" (line 16) represent those things which make us joyful. It is suggested that one is supposed to enjoy and obtain these niceties while they last. The journey of life is something that a person only gets to encounter once, so experiencing things which bring joy to a person are important. In the poem the speaker advises those embarking on the journey to "visit hosts of Egyptian cities" (line 19) to "learn from those who have knowledge" (line 20). Learning from those who are wise and intelligent can prove beneficial for carrying on with the journey. C.P. Cavafy also mentions that the elements that make a person rich in life, are the experiences and "the great wisdom [he/she has] gained" (line 23) along the way. If a person finds himself at the end of the journey, and sees nothing of value around him, "Ithaca has not defrauded [him]" (line 31) for Ithaca is not the final destination but the passage one takes and the wisdom one obtains. If a person can recognize that the journey, and what the journey brings, is more important than the final destination or goal, then that person has understood the true meaning of life and "what Ithaca means".…

    • 738 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Irony In Ozymandias
    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Irony In Ozymandias

    For example, the face, marred by a “frown/wrinkled lip” and a “cold, commanding sneer” suggest that “its sculptor well those passions read” as after all this time, they still “survive, stamped on these lifeless things” (4-6). The frown parallels the king’s callous nature, and the sneer depicts his haughty and dismissive self-importance. The adept sculptor illustrated Ozymandias's narcissism and selfish pride, forever carving his arrogance into stone. Although intended to be a testament to the king’s majestic regime and great power, the destructed statue is instead a tribute to his vanity. Inscribed on the pedestal below the statue, an engraving boasts “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”; however, “Nothing besides remains”, wholeheartedly contradicting those words (10-12). Ozymandias's desire was to create an extreme dominance over the observer and have them tremble before his massive regime. These words seem downright ludicrous, as the statue has diminished and the sands surrounding it are as lone and desolate as ever. Shelley is taunting the ruler’s exaggerated self opinion by first echoing the vain message and immediately following it with its barren surroundings, adding to the ironic and mocking tone of the…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Symbol and Poem
    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Symbol and Poem

    The first element of literature that I like in this poem is the setting. The author does a great job of portraying the setting and I could picture it very easily. The setting is in the “holiest city on earth”, the man is standing on some steps that lead to water, but also lead to fire. I think this is saying that he has the option to put the body into the water or into the fire. It also takes place a long time ago because they are talking about chivalry, which I believe has to do with knights, bravery, and honor.…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Loss of a Loved One
    • 1374 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Loss of a Loved One

    The story occurs at a non-specified time and in a “kingdom by the sea,” which connotes a fairytale and royal setting (2). The narrator’s love is special. The poem describes his anger and obsession to find an answer for her death, which makes him lose perspective in life. After he answers his question, he realizes that their love is not over yet because their “souls” are intertwined (32). Their love is eternal because the narrator believes that his love continues after death.…

    • 1374 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Fleeting power
    • 827 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Fleeting power

    The poem “Ozymandias” begins with an unnamed narrator telling the readers of a traveler he met in an “antique land.” The traveler in turn tells a story, thereon becoming the narrator for the duration of the poem, and begins describing the wreckage of a nearby statue. The statue, which was probably tall and massive when first sculpted, is the focus of the poem and how it now is only a “colossal wreck,” left alone in the desert. He describes how only two legs remain of the statue, along with a sunken figure of the head. The menacing words of Ozymandias, the apparent builder of the statue, are etched into the remaining statue, telling the world to look at the work he created “and despair.” The poem ends with the traveler once again stating that the statue is in ruins and alone in the desert.…

    • 827 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More