Ozymandias

Ozymandias

Themes
1. Human power
  1. Power doesn't last
    1. However, art does last - represented by statue
  2. People in power think they're all powerful / they think their power will never go away
2. Religion
3. Greatness of art
  1. Power disappears
  2. Artist's capture of Ozymandias' arrogance is still visible
Form
1. Sonnet
  1. 14 lines
  2. Love poems
    1. Form represents Shelley's opinion that all people in power are in love with themselves
  3. Mixture of Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnet forms
2. Doesn't have usual rhyme scheme or punctuation like other sonnets
Language
1. Title suggests power and control ('Ozymandias')
  1. 'Ozy' come from Greek word 'ozium', meaning 'to breathe'
  2. 'Mandias comes from Greek word 'mandate', meaning 'to rule'
2. Poet distances himself from narrative
  1. 'I met a traveller...'
  2. So poem isn't seen as an open attack on monarchy/religion
    1. Disguised attack
3. Alliteration
  1. 'cold command'
  2. Harsh, angry sound
    1. Harsh nature of Ozymandias
4. Negative language used show poem is criticising not praising the powerful
  1. 'sunk', 'shattered', 'frown', 'wrinkled', 'sneer'
Context
1. King George III
  1. Inspiration for poem
  2. Shelley didn't like that the King was involved in many conflicts worldwide
2. Ramases II
  1. Led many battles to protect Egypt but also to gain new land
    1. Similar to George III
Poet
1. Unsuccessful in his time
2. Expelled from university for writing in favour of atheism
3. Romantic poet
  1. Second generation
    1. Set poems in foreign lands
    2. Wrote against religion and political control
4. 1792 - 1822
5. Deeply political
Percy Shelley

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