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Ozymandias
● Context: Percy Bysshe Shelley was a
Romantic poet who was fascinated by the
power of nature and ideas surrounding “the
Sublime” (the sense of greatness that is so
large and far beyond human understanding,
that it cannot be measured or explained)
...
It stands large and looming in
the desert and seems to have a certain look
on his face
...
It seems fitting that the statue is so “colossal” to
mirror is massive ego
...
The phrase “cold command” also
uses harsh consonance to heighten the sense of arrogance and power that
the ruler has
...

● “The hand that mock’d them” - the word “mock” has a double meaning, as
whilst it can mean to ridicule someone, it could also suggest how the sculptor
created the statue
...
This of course, is exactly what has
happened, as the once great and mighty ruler has been reduced to crumbled
stone and all but forgotten
...
It may
also highlight the insignificance of the buildings and empires that humans
create and are proud of, because eventually time will pass and even the
greatest of kings will be left to rot
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This reinforces Shelley’s message and aim to
capture intense and personal experiences in his work
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Key themes, form and structure

● This story is a second-hand account which distances the reader from the
statue, along with the use of vast language which once again highlights
Ozymandias’s insignificance
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● There is a heavy sense of irony in this poem, as the idea of “how the mighty
have fallen” becomes a running theme
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Exam question
Q) Explore how the power of nature is portrayed in this poem, and in one other
poem that you have studied

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