Notesale: Turn your study into money

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How does Shelley present the theme of power in Ozymandias?




Shelley portrays the transient nature of power continuously throughout the poem, showing
how such authority and importance of someone can decay and change over time
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With the ominous, short and juxtaposing line, ‘nothing
beside remains’ this reinforces power being lost over time as it proves

it doesn't last forever, though Ozymandias is clearly trying to hang on to his legacy
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Furthermore, by the poets use of the
noun ‘nothing’, it reinforces how none of the power he once held is significant or evident
anymore
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Where it states, ‘colossal wreck,
boundless and bare’, Shelley is showing how immense power, in the wrong hands, is used in
the wrong way
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Moreover, with the
use of Plosive B in ‘boundless and bare’, the harsh sounds portray the brutality in the way
power was used by Ozymandias, showing recklessness and chaos and the impact left on the
people he held authority over
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HIs power is dejected
and abandoned, stamped out and deserted, just as the statue of him is in a ‘lone’ desert of
‘level sands’ that ‘stretch far away
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This is ironic as the once glorious and dominant statue is now
barren and lost, sitting in the middle of nowhere
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With the boastful quote, ‘“Look on my words, ye Mighty, and
despair!”’ Ozymandias speaks demandingly and with such confidence that he expects
everybody to treat him with respect, showing his strong vanity and the way he uses power to
his own advantage
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This is extremely poignant as it holds a literal meaning of a derelict, broken statue that
was once stable, yet additionally metaphorical for the way Ozymandias’ power deteriorated
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The adjective ‘shattered’ connotes that it isn't broken in two,
but instead more strikingly a thousand pieces, meaning it can never be fixed or perfect
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Finally to conclude, structurally Shelley indicates a battle of power within
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’ Although, this is juxtaposed with what Ozymandias was
like, reinforcing the difference of the power portrayed, but the chaos he so obsessively stood
for; a reckless figure who left his lands and people in ‘wreck’ and conclusively, was left a
deserted, broken statue with no authoritative respect to his name

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