Literary Analysis of Shelley’s “Ozymandias”

Literary Analysis of Shelley’s “Ozymandias” Throughout the history of mankind, there have been lots of great conquerors that sought to rule over the world or to gain a lasting supreme power. Qin Shi Huang, Genghis Khan, and Napoleon Bonaparte, all achieved supreme power during their time, and sought for more power, even attempting to achieve immortality. Though they had succeeded to achieve great power, their reign did not last forever. As time passed, every sovereign met his or her downfall. In her poem “Ozymandias”, Shelley describes about a tale about an ancient king Ozymandias, heard from a traveler from far away. The traveler describes the broken statue of Ozymandias in the middle of the empty desert, with its pedestal praising his great power. In this poem, Shelley intrigues the reader to think about the temporary nature of human power: its ultimate fate to collapse as time passes by.

The poet Shelley uses imagery to reveal the aftermath of Ozymandias’ downfall. By describing the statue as “trunkless” (2), the poet indicates that the statue is broken, having no body attached to its legs. Furthermore, the poet describes the statue’s face to be “Half sunk” (4) and “shattered” (4) in the sand. This scene indicates that the head of the statue is decapitated. Also, various diction helps setting the imagery in this poem. The diction “lifeless” (7) and “wreck” (13) demonstrates the statue to be completely ruined. Lastly, the poet paints nothing but a “boundless” (13), “bare (13), “lone and level sands” (14) around the statue. By showing this wide deserted field of sand, the poet indicates the results of Ozymandias’ collapse, having his kingdom disappear, leaving nothing but lonely sand behind. By depicting the downfall of Ozymandias through the imagery of broken statue and vanished kingdom, Shelley indicates the ephemeral nature of human power.

The imagery drawn by Shelley in “Ozymandias” establishes symbolism. The image of the broken ruins