Ozymandius : Poem Anthology

“I met a traveller..”

“From an antique land.”

Ozymandius once ran the land of ancient Egypt and is now reduced to a mere tourist attraction

He is no longer the powerful and omnipotent ruler he used to be

His legacy is not one of fear, dominance and power but is instead of enjoyment and attraction

He is now a relic of the past and only exists in stories

He was not unable to outlive time no matter how powerful he once was

“Two vast and..”

“Trunkless legs of stone”

The statue was once grand and tall a physical expression of the power he once held

However, similarly as his power is no more neither is his statue

The adjective trunkless shows how his power was hollow and had little substance in time

His power became outdated and came to an eventual end

Stone suggests lifelessness and how his power has died, he is now preserved as an ancient relic rather than a live and powerful being

“A shattered visage lies, whose frown..”

“And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command”

Shattered visage of lies represent Ozymandius’s beliefs that his power would last forever and it is now no more

He once held a tight grip over the land and they believed he would remain omnipotent, now he is no more

Also represents how the statue is shattered and broken

Description of the statues facial expressions represent the oppressive reign of Ozymandius and the tight grip he held on the land

He believed he was the superior being and wanted all to fear him, however, he has had his dreams shattered

He is no longer feared but is visited as a memory of the past

“Which yet survive, stamped..”

“On these lifeless things”

Stamped represents the oppressive and cruel ruler he once was but how his reign was stamped on by time and he is no more.

Also represents how his goals for his power to live on forever are stamped on and are no more

Failure and time has overtook him

He was once powerful and now his power is lifeless and has ended, similarly his statue is lifeless and frozen in time which his power did not exceed

Ozymandius’s passion for power juxtapose his eventual fate

Even the previous most powerful and cruel leaders can not survive time

“The hand that mocked them..”

“And the heart that fed.”

Shows how he was once superior and controlled all he knew

Now his reign as a previous dominant leader has crumbled

Ironic - he used to mock those under his regime and now he is mocked for believing his power would last forever and transgress time

The heart that fed shows us how his primary focus in life was to get more power, even under the suffering of others

He is no longer superior and is almost mocked by time, as a karma for what he made people endure

“My name is Ozymandius, King of Kings..”

“Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

King of kings shows how he was once a superior being with Godlike authority and an omnipowerful reign

Mighty shows how powerful his control once was and the vast area he owned

Despair shows how he was oppressive toward the people that he ruled and how he would react knowing how time has overtaken his previous power

Ironic after seeing the statue in the present - his arrogance and belief he would transcend time have been humbled

He was once dominant and is now a collapsed relic of the past

A symbol of the power of time and nature, man made power can not outlast nature