Ozymandias

Ozymandias was a Greek name for Ramses II, a powerful Egyptian pharaoh (1279-1213 BC) who was full of himself. He was very obsessed with his power and kingdom to the point where he ordered his people to sculpt a 17 meter statue of himself, depicting his large and forever lasting power. But in the 1800s (3,000 years later), that statue was found half sunk in the desert sand, broken in six pieces. In Ozymandias Percy Shelley shows that no matter how power and strong someone or something is, as time goes by, nothing last forever.

In the poem, Percy Shelly used imagery to help readers create image of what the pharaoh was like during his reign. Percy Shelley described the pharaoh as frownwrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, and from this quote, readers can imagine a very conceited king commanding his people to build him this colossal statue. Ozymandias was probably thinking this vast statue will stand forever, just like his kingdom and power. The cruelty of the king was known by the sculptors of the statue, as in tell that its sculptor well those passions read, because the sculptors knew about the kings evil, the visage they sculpted for him has a vile expression. The sculptors build this statue of their arrogant king while fearing the kings rage and punishment if they dont obey his commands. Percy Shelley uses irony in this poem, for example, after the statue was finished, Ozymandias commanded to put on the pedestal inscription that described his greatness. Look on my works ye Mighty, and despair, the pharaoh called himself king of kings. He stated that if anyone thinks they are great, look at his works, see what he had accomplished and feel despair

by the fact that they will never be as great is him. Its ironic, because Percy Shell ey stated that Ozymandias works was nothing besides remains, so nothing of the pharaohs works survived over these 3,000 years. The only things left were the mummy of the conceited pharaoh and the remains of what was supposed to be the symbol of his forever lasting power.

The ruined statue in this poem is a metaphor. It symbolizes the effect of time on humans. Percy Shelley described the statue as half sunkshattered, the pharaohs magnificent art work was now a ruin, half sunk in the desert. His works was reduced to nothing. All of the pharaohs possessions are gone with time, just like his life. What used to be Ozymandias kingdom is now a big and empty land covered in sand, as states in line 13 boundless and bare. The pharaoh himself did not survived with time and neither did his possessions. Everything that Ozymandias was proud of, all of his great accomplishments were taken away by time.

In life, nothing lasts forever, Ozymandias kingdom and statue is a perfect example. The pharaoh thought his kingdom will remain forever as well as the vast statue he built. But as time goes by and Ozymandias died, his statue crumpled to the ground, and his kingdom is now no more. All his works became nothing. Percy Shelley used literary devices such as imagery to help readers visualize the pharaohs visage, which frown and sneer of cold command. What is written on the pedestal and what actually happened to the pharaohs kingdom is ironic. The metaphor of this poem was expressed through the shattered statue. Percy Shelley was telling us, that no matter who you are or what have, time will take it all away sooner or later.