Poem by OZYMANDIS, by PERCY SHELLEY - Essay Example

of Learning: Ozymandias by Percy Shelley Percy Shelley’s Ozymandias is a sonnet that tells of a speaker meeting a traveler who describes to him the ruins of a great king, Ozymandias, in a desert. The face of the king is carved into a sneer by the sculptor and close to him is a pedestal with the words "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: / Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" (10-11). The sonnet is a powerful statement of the insignificance of man and how history can bring on the ruin of the mightiest of kings and their empires.

This is emphasized by Shelley through the use of imagery of destruction and a narrative format of the sonnet; Shelley also creates an overpowering sense of loneliness by extensively using alliteration. The imagery of destruction is prevalent in the sonnet reminding the readers and the speaker not only that time can destroy the greatest of civilizations, but that man’s existence is temporary and ephemeral. The speaker tells us that the legs of the statue are missing a trunk, “trunkless legs of stone” (2).

Its face is “half sunk” in sand and is described as being shattered (4). The once proud Ozymandias is now nothing but broken stone, remembered only by an inscription. Although the words on the pedestal boast of a mighty “king of kings”, they are surrounded by nothing but decay (10). Ozymandias’ civilization was once huge and powerful, however, history and time has eroded and destroyed them, leaving nothing behind but a “colossal wreck” (13). The words also urge the readers to “Look on my works” where one of these “works” happens to be the carved statue, now just a pair of stone legs (11).

Ironically, Ozymandias himself is drawing attention to the fact that man’s power is transient. The broken statue is lost amidst the desert sands that “stretch far away” highlighting the vastness of time and how it engulfs everything (14). Shelley effectively uses the imagery of destruction from the beginning to the end of the poem, depicting how this isn’t an occurrence for Ozymandias alone. Instead, the ruined statue is a timeless metaphor of the temporary existence of man’s power and pride.

Shelley portrays the sonnet as a narrative, outlining the account of Ozymandias and how his boastfulness and power is now lying in ruins. The start of the poem frames the setting of the tale pertaining to something distant and lost. For example, the words “traveler from an antique land” take the reader to a place far off, somewhere lost in the folds of history (1). The traveler himself belongs to an “antique” time and place, adding to the obscurity and vagueness of Ozymandias’s lost power and civilization.

Even the speaker hasn’t seen the statue with his own eyes and sees it through the eyes of a distant traveler, thus adding another layer of isolation. The readers and the speaker are first introduced to the detached legs of the king, already portrayed as powerless and helpless. Next to the legs is his face which is locked in a frown and a “sneer of cold command” (5). The image of the king is fully portrayed as shattered and destroyed, half sunk in the sand, devoid of any respect and power.

Shelley then introduces the sculptor, the person responsible for permanently etching the cold expression of Ozymandias’ face. The readers can imagine the sculptor carving the image if a man who once lived and most probably wore the same expressions of “cold command” and “wrinkled lip” while ruling (5). His kingdom is inferred in the next line of the poem adding on to the story of Ozymandias and his empire. For example, he was a king that ruled over his people strictly while at the same time providing for them, “The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed” (8).

Ozymandias’ power and pride are emphasized by the inscription on the pedestal. For a moment, the image of the king stands tall and powerful. However, this is soon deteriorated into nothingness, lying buried in the sand as a “colossal wreck” instead of a colossal empire worthy to be gazed upon (13). Shelley effectively draws the story of Ozymandias to a close with the lasting image of the statue lying bare in the desert sand stretching endlessly. A sense of loneliness throughout the poem is heightened and emphasized through the use of alliteration.

The visage of Ozymandias is locked forever in a scornful expression of “cold command” (5). This is how the king of kings is remembered now throughout history, someone cold and distant. He was a king to be feared and his memory is just as lonely and forlorn as the broken statue covered in sand. The proud words inscribed on the pedestal telling others to look upon his work and despairing are now part of the wreckage. These words along with the great work of Ozymandias now lie in stark contrast next to decay that is “boundless and bare” (13).

The speaker and the readers are drawn to the fact that just as the desert sand is “lone and level” so too is the memory of Ozymandias (14). For, nothing remains of him now but a pair of legs, a shattered face and a pedestal. Time has reduced his empire and great works into lonely and bare wreckage. The words that Ozymandias had inscribed on his pedestal boasting and mocking others, now mock him. His shattered remains lie buried and forgotten in the lonely endless stretch of time as the desert “sands stretch far away” (14).

Shelley’s use of alliteration emphasizes the loneliness surrounding Ozymandias and his memory reminding us that time can bring an end to many things. Ozymandias is a beautiful and memorable sonnet concisely portraying the story of a great king who now lies in ruins. It is a great poem and serves as a good reminder that man can walk on this earth boasting its existence but soon the greatest of men and states come to an end. The imagery of destruction is vivid and effectively illustrates the ruin that history and time brings on.

Shelley’s narrative form of the sonnet is excellent in succinctly telling the story of Ozymandias and his kingdom, symbolizing the temporary existence of man. The use of alliteration emphasizes the loneliness that Ozymandias’ memory now faces. Shelley’s poem is timeless and beautifully shows that pride and power are fleeting and eluding, for, they can easily vanish amidst the folds of history, lying buried in the sands of time. Works Cited Shelley, Percy Bysshe. Ozymandias. Web. 9 Dec. 2012.