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Shelley's "Ozymandias"

 

            In Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias," the author describes an ironic event of the past to reveal to the reader the theme of his sonnet. As the underlying implicit message, the most theme in "Ozymandias" is that immortality is an unachievable human desire which even through possessions, fails to exist. Summarizing the story behind the reign of Ramses II, the third king of the 19th dynasty of Egypt, this theme is clearly displayed throughout the sonnet. .
             In the first eight lines or octet of this sonnet, Shelley, through the eyes of a traveler, provides a description of a worn down and dismally conditioned monumental sculpture. Creating vivid imagery, the reader is able to picture a destroyed stone statue which stands weak in the middle of a desert, carries an arrogant and commanding appearance and is left with only his head and legs. This description provides the foundation for the sestet or last six lines of the poem in which Shelley discusses the words engraved in the monument's pedestal and relates these words to a contradictory reality. In the octet, Shelley portrays the ancient king as someone with "a shattered visage" (line 4) and a "sneer of cold command" (line 5). This leaves the reader to think of Ramses II as a fearsome and stuck-up ruler who wishes to leave behind his legacy of power and in pursuing this dream, has ordered the building of this statue. Validating the king's conceitedness, the words "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" (lines 10-11) are told, in the sestet, to be engraved into the monument's pedestal. This reveals to the reader that Ozymandias firmly believes his statue will stand forever. In describing himself as the "king of kings" (line 10), Ozymandias puts himself above all forces and in asking the world to "Look on my works" (line 11), shows that he is under the impression that not only him, but his kingdom will stand forever.


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