Why is Ozymandias a good poem?
Ozymandias is first and foremost a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of political power, and in that sense the poem is Shelley’s most outstanding political sonnet, trading the specific rage of a poem like “England in 1819” for the crushing impersonal metaphor of the statue.
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Why is Ozymandias a good poem?
Ozymandias is first and foremost a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of political power, and in that sense the poem is Shelley’s most outstanding political sonnet, trading the specific rage of a poem like “England in 1819” for the crushing impersonal metaphor of the statue.
How is language used in Ozymandias?
Shelley uses a wide array of figurative, or non-literal, language in “Ozymandias,” giving great depth to the sonnet. The way that the poet uses the word “read” is an idiomatic use of the word. Usually we think of printed words being read, but we also speak of reading the minds or emotions of others.
Is Ozymandias a poem?
“Ozymandias” (/ˌɒziˈmændiəs/ oz-ee-MAN-dee-əs) is a sonnet written by the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822). It was first published in the 11 January 1818 issue of The Examiner of London.
Why was Ozymandias written?
Shelley wrote “Ozymandias” for several reasons. First, the poem was inspired by the arrival in England of a portion of a statue of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II. Shelley wanted to commemorate that event and was spurred on as well by a friendly rivalry with the poet Horace Smith.
What is the meaning behind Ozymandias?
The title of “Ozymandias” refers to an alternate name of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II. In “Ozymandias,” Shelley describes a crumbling statue of Ozymandias as a way to portray the transience of political power and to praise art’s power of preserving the past.
What happens in Ozymandias poem?
What is it about? Shelley’s poem imagines a meeting between the narrator and a ‘traveller’ who describes a ruined statue he – or she – saw in the middle of a desert somewhere. The description of the statue is a meditation on the fragility of human power and on the effects of time.
How does the speaker feel in Ozymandias?
The speaker doesn’t hang around very long before handing the microphone over to the traveler, whose voice occupies the remainder of the poem. One can imagine a movie based on this storyline: the speaker meets a strange guy who then narrates his experiences, which make up the rest of the film.
What is the setting of the poem Ozymandias?
“Ozymandias” is set in a desert. This setting is an important part of the story Shelley is telling through this sonnet. A traveller who is traversing the desert comes upon the broken statue of the once mighty Ozymandias. All around is nothing but vast tracts of desert sands, as far as the eye can see.
What do lifeless things refer to?
The poem now tells us more about the “passions” of the face depicted on the statue. Weirdly, the “passions” still survive because they are “stamp’d on these lifeless things.” The “lifeless things” are the fragments of the statue in the desert.
How is Ozymandias a romantic poem?
The main characteristics of the Romanticism were to glorify common life and to disregard the royalty, government and upper class, to glorify the beauty and power of Nature and to disregard human authority and earthly possessions. In the poem ‘Ozymandias’, P. B. All these are characteristics of romanticism.
What is the rhyme scheme of Ozymandias?
In Ozymandias, Shelley uses a very different scheme: ABAB-ACDC-EDE-FDF. In some cases these are are slant rhymes—“appear”/“despair”—and resist detection. This scheme, with its less memorable rhymes, supports the poem’s theme of inevitable oblivion: just as every person will be forgotten, so will every work of poetry.
Why is Ozymandias heard second hand?
Expert Answers He is telling a story that he has heard second hand. Perhaps, Shelley is making a statement about the nature of fame and infamy. The fact that the speaker is someone who only knows of Ozymandias through legend and oral tradition is vitally important.
Why is Ozymandias set in an antique land?
But of course, all that is left of him or his kingdom now is this statue. The phrase “antique land” reinforces this idea. To me, saying the traveler’s land is antique means it is old-fashioned and no longer worth anything except as a memory.
