Introduction to Ozymandias (1818)
Today we'll discuss Ozymandias, a sonnet written by Percy Bysshe Shelley, which was published in 1818. So, dear friends, it's a sonnet and it was published by Shelley in a friendly fight with Horace Smith. It was published in Examiner magazine and when it comes to the plot of this sonnet, Ozymandias was a king or Pharaoh of Egypt who ruled in 1200 BC. Ozymandias wanted a statue of himself so that he shall remain forever in this world. He wanted the people to look at his statue and remember him. However, as you all know, nothing can be permanent. So, this poem maybe we'll be discussing about the broken statue of Ozymandias.
Now, the opening lines are,
I met a traveler 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.
The closing lines are,
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.
Section 1: Summary
Now, we'll discuss the summary of this poem in brief. Friends, the poet begins by talking about meeting a traveler from an ancient and old place. The traveler tells the poet about what he saw through his journey. The traveler saw two huge legs made of stone sand in the desert, but those legs had no upper body. Now, near the legs on the sand, the traveler saw a broken and buried face. The face had an angry expression that looked like that of a cruel king. The traveler praises the maker of the statue for such good work that even the expressions of the king can be understood from the statue. The maker was indeed able to put how we felt about the king on lifeless stones. So, under the statue, a few lines were written, which we shall talk about now.
The lines were,
"My name is Ozymandias, king of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty and despair!
Nothing beside remains"
Now, through this, Ozymandias tells the other Kings that he was a King of the Kings, and he wanted them to see his works. However, according to him, in the end, nothing remained. Everything gets destroyed and even the borders of his huge kingdom got erased. Hence, as far as one can see, all that remains is the broken statue of Ozymandias in the sand.
Section 2: Critical Analysis
Some critical analysis, friends. Shelley's choice of language in this work is precise and realistic with powerful imagery that portrays the theme of decay and destruction. The poem is also notable for its use of irony that Ozymandias, who was once a mighty ruler, is now reduced to a mere pile of rubble in the desert. Hence, this work serves as a reminder that even the mightiest empires will eventually crumble and fall. Example you can relate with this is the fall of the British Indian Empire in 1947.
Section 3: Facts and Quotes
Now, some facts and quotes, friends. Shelley began writing this poem soon after the British Museum's announcement that they had acquired a large piece of a statue of Ramesses II, who was an Egyptian King. The statue was kept in the British Museum and was called the Pride of Britain. And this was a short poem and a short description of it. So, the whole theme is basically that however big, however huge you may be at one time, but finally everything is reduced to nothingness. So, that's the whole theme of it. And through Ozymandias, the king and the statue, Shelley has talked about this theme.