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Ozymandias Analysis and Discussion Questions

The poem describes a traveler's encounter with the remnants of a colossal statue in the desert. The statue is all that remains of the great king Ozymandias, whose inscription boasts of his power but now lies shattered as a testimony to the impermanence of even the mightiest empires. In the vast, lonely desert, only the crumbling statue is left to tell the king's story and remind visitors that no man or kingdom can stand forever against the ravages of time.

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343 views3 pages

Ozymandias Analysis and Discussion Questions

The poem describes a traveler's encounter with the remnants of a colossal statue in the desert. The statue is all that remains of the great king Ozymandias, whose inscription boasts of his power but now lies shattered as a testimony to the impermanence of even the mightiest empires. In the vast, lonely desert, only the crumbling statue is left to tell the king's story and remind visitors that no man or kingdom can stand forever against the ravages of time.

Uploaded by

Marita
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Ozymandias

BY PER CY BYS SHE SHE LLEY

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.”
Questions for discussion:

 In line one of Shelley's poem, what might you infer about the traveler and the antique
land?
 How does the phrase 'shattered visage' in line four create an image in your mind's eye?
 What does the phrase 'and sneer of cold command' in line five suggest about the way the
real Ozymandias (Pharaoh Ramses II) ruled over Egypt?
 To what is Shelley making an allusion to when he says 'stamped on these lifeless things?'
 How would you evaluate 'and the heart that fed' in line eight, which many people
believe to be the most enigmatic phrase in the poem?
 Why do you think Shelley chose to use the word 'Wreck' in line 13, and why do you
think he capitalized it?
 How does the phrase 'the lone and level sands' in line 14 announce emphatically what
has become of the real Ozymandias and his empire?
 Why do you think Shelley chose to use an irregular sonnet for his poem?
 How does the poem play on the theme of artistic expression, and how does the poem
reference the statue as part of culture?
 How does the poem play on the theme of impermanence?
 What lesson(s) can be learnt from the poem?
 What are the important themes of the poem and which is the main one?

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