Ozymandias's
About the Poet
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) was a British Romantic poet who is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in the English language. He was born into a wealthy family and attended Oxford University, but was expelled for writing a pamphlet advocating atheism.
Shelley's poetry is known for its lyricism, imaginative power, and radical political and social views. He was deeply influenced by the French Revolution and saw poetry as a means of promoting political and social change. Some of his most famous works include "Ode to the West Wind," "To a Skylark," and "Ozymandias."
Shelley's personal life was marked by tragedy and scandal. He eloped with Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (later known as Mary Shelley), the daughter of radical philosopher William Godwin, and together they wrote the novel "Frankenstein." Shelley's first wife, Harriet, drowned herself, and he was later accused of adultery with Mary's stepsister, Claire Clairmont.
Despite his short life and tumultuous personal circumstances, Shelley left a lasting legacy as a poet and political radical. His work continues to be celebrated for its beauty, passion, and idealism, and he is regarded as one of the most important figures of the Romantic movement.
Poem
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias" is a sonnet that reflects on the nature of power and the transience of human achievements.
The poem describes a traveler who has come across the ruins of a statue in the desert, with only two trunkless legs and a shattered visage remaining. The facial expression of the statue, with its "frown and wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command," suggests a tyrannical ruler who was once feared and revered. However, the ruins themselves tell a different story, revealing that the hand that created the statue and the heart that fed its creator's ambition have both turned to dust.
The inscription on the pedestal of the statue reads, "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: / Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" This phrase seems to be a boastful challenge to future generations, inviting them to contemplate the ruler's greatness and despair at their own insignificance in comparison. However, the irony of the poem lies in the fact that there is nothing left of Ozymandias's works except for this ruined statue, half-buried in the sand. The surrounding desert landscape, with its "lone and level sands," stretches out boundlessly and suggests that time and nature have eroded all traces of the ruler's power and achievements.
In summary, "Ozymandias" is a powerful meditation on the nature of human power and the inevitable decline of even the mightiest empires. It suggests that even the most grandiose works of human ambition are ultimately futile and that time erodes all traces of human greatness. The poem's evocative imagery and ironic twist make it one of Shelley's most memorable and enduring works.
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