Ozymandias Essay
Ozymandias: Poetry Will Live On
Percy Shelley uses imagery and irony to demonstrate to the readers of his poem “Ozymandias” something more than just a run down work of art. Imagery is used to characterize Ozymandias – a sculptor of a king that was depicted as being cold and overambitious. Shelley uses the words that are written on the pedestal of the statue, and puts them together with the never ending sea of sand and the decaying sculptor itself. When these descriptions come together, the irony of the whole poem is revealed. An image of wear and tear goes through the reader’s mind as Ozymandias’ monument is portrayed. It is only after reading, and studying, and analyzing the poem, that the reader can see that the theme of it suggests …show more content…
that fame, fortune, and even a kingdom cannot withstand time. Shelley is trying to get the point across, by using imagery and irony, that poetry will always outlive and outlast other art forms that think they are more mighty and stupendous.
Shelley uses very thought-out words when he describes Ozymandias. Words like “sneer” (5) are used, indicating to the reader arrogance and insult. Also in line five, we see that the king had a “cold command” (5). We are led to believe that the king reigned in a way that he really did not care about others around him. He saw himself as being someone that was better than everyone else. Shelley uses these words to describe Ozymandias so that he can later use it for irony. By using words like this at the beginning of the poem he is able to set the king up for what he was ultimately doomed for from the start.
Starting with line ten, we start to see just how belligerent and boastful Ozymandias really was when the speaker states, “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings/Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!” (10-11).
Ozymandias thought so much of himself that he actually put his status above all other kings that have ruled before and after him. He sets himself on high by telling everyone to look at all the many things that he accomplished. He does not care if you are another king or some hobo on the street. He wants everyone to look to him and see what a mighty man of valor he really is, and was. Shelley tells us how conceited and self-centered Ozymandias really was in line eight with the phrase “the heart that fed” (8). The king takes high pride in the fact that someone is making a sculptor of him. His legacy will always be around for people to praise and glorify him. With an art piece around, all can view and marvel at his excellence. We are led to believe that his heart is fed and fueled by the arrogance of loving himself with so much passion and the desire to be respected. Shelley uses the kings burning passion for fame and fortune to portray just how weak of an art form the sculptor really is when it is put to the ultimate test of
time.
Shelley rains on Ozymandias’ parade starting in line twelve when he reveals just what the all-powerful king’s sculptor really looks like after a little bit of time has chipped away at it. Up until now, Shelley has built up the king and told how mighty and powerful he was (or thought he was). That was to put more emphasis on how hard Shelley wants the king and his statue to fall. He wants a lot of emotion to be felt when the reader finally gets to line twelve and sees that there was “decay” (12) and nothing else remained close to where the king’s legacy lay. Shelley uses words of desolation and loneliness. He says in line thirteen that the statue is a “colossal wreck, boundless and bare” (13). The kings’ life is now depicted as nothing more than a ship that has gone down to the bottom of the sea. There is nothing left for anyone to see, except for the occasional sight seers that wonder here and there for ruins and artifacts.
The irony of the whole poem is that even though Ozymandias thought he was “king of kings” (10), but he was nothing more than a regular person. Shelley uses words to describe his sculptor in order for the readers to visualize just how immortal the king was not. Shelley looked on the king’s works and saw that he was not superior to any other. This great sculptor that the king had made proved to be nothing more than a shade hideout for the dessert creatures. Shelley suggests, like the pharaohs statue laying in the dessert without anything that resembles dignity around it, that time is the ultimate decider of everything in the universe. Given a little bit of time, any and everything will decay and turn to nothing. After the king has ruled, after he is dead and gone, after his statues are decayed and broken down, the only thing that will remain in the end is the poem that was there from the beginning.
Works Cited
Shelley, Percy. “Ozymandias.” Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 4th ed. New York: Longman, 2012. 638. Print.
Percy Shelley uses imagery and irony to demonstrate to the readers of his poem “Ozymandias” something more than just a run down work of art. Imagery is used to characterize Ozymandias – a sculptor of a king that was depicted as being cold and overambitious. Shelley uses the words that are written on the pedestal of the statue, and puts them together with the never ending sea of sand and the decaying sculptor itself. When these descriptions come together, the irony of the whole poem is revealed. An image of wear and tear goes through the reader’s mind as Ozymandias’ monument is portrayed. It is only after reading, and studying, and analyzing the poem, that the reader can see that the theme of it suggests …show more content…
that fame, fortune, and even a kingdom cannot withstand time. Shelley is trying to get the point across, by using imagery and irony, that poetry will always outlive and outlast other art forms that think they are more mighty and stupendous.
Shelley uses very thought-out words when he describes Ozymandias. Words like “sneer” (5) are used, indicating to the reader arrogance and insult. Also in line five, we see that the king had a “cold command” (5). We are led to believe that the king reigned in a way that he really did not care about others around him. He saw himself as being someone that was better than everyone else. Shelley uses these words to describe Ozymandias so that he can later use it for irony. By using words like this at the beginning of the poem he is able to set the king up for what he was ultimately doomed for from the start.
Starting with line ten, we start to see just how belligerent and boastful Ozymandias really was when the speaker states, “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings/Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!” (10-11).
Ozymandias thought so much of himself that he actually put his status above all other kings that have ruled before and after him. He sets himself on high by telling everyone to look at all the many things that he accomplished. He does not care if you are another king or some hobo on the street. He wants everyone to look to him and see what a mighty man of valor he really is, and was. Shelley tells us how conceited and self-centered Ozymandias really was in line eight with the phrase “the heart that fed” (8). The king takes high pride in the fact that someone is making a sculptor of him. His legacy will always be around for people to praise and glorify him. With an art piece around, all can view and marvel at his excellence. We are led to believe that his heart is fed and fueled by the arrogance of loving himself with so much passion and the desire to be respected. Shelley uses the kings burning passion for fame and fortune to portray just how weak of an art form the sculptor really is when it is put to the ultimate test of
time.
Shelley rains on Ozymandias’ parade starting in line twelve when he reveals just what the all-powerful king’s sculptor really looks like after a little bit of time has chipped away at it. Up until now, Shelley has built up the king and told how mighty and powerful he was (or thought he was). That was to put more emphasis on how hard Shelley wants the king and his statue to fall. He wants a lot of emotion to be felt when the reader finally gets to line twelve and sees that there was “decay” (12) and nothing else remained close to where the king’s legacy lay. Shelley uses words of desolation and loneliness. He says in line thirteen that the statue is a “colossal wreck, boundless and bare” (13). The kings’ life is now depicted as nothing more than a ship that has gone down to the bottom of the sea. There is nothing left for anyone to see, except for the occasional sight seers that wonder here and there for ruins and artifacts.
The irony of the whole poem is that even though Ozymandias thought he was “king of kings” (10), but he was nothing more than a regular person. Shelley uses words to describe his sculptor in order for the readers to visualize just how immortal the king was not. Shelley looked on the king’s works and saw that he was not superior to any other. This great sculptor that the king had made proved to be nothing more than a shade hideout for the dessert creatures. Shelley suggests, like the pharaohs statue laying in the dessert without anything that resembles dignity around it, that time is the ultimate decider of everything in the universe. Given a little bit of time, any and everything will decay and turn to nothing. After the king has ruled, after he is dead and gone, after his statues are decayed and broken down, the only thing that will remain in the end is the poem that was there from the beginning.
Works Cited
Shelley, Percy. “Ozymandias.” Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 4th ed. New York: Longman, 2012. 638. Print.