Ozymandias and My Last Duchess

Similarities

• Both show corruption of power

• Both speakers show arrogance

• Misuse of power

• Harmful behaviour

QUOTES

Arrogance

Ozymandias

• King of kings

• Look on my works ye mighty and despair

MLD

• My gift of nine hundred years old name

• Repetition of ‘Fra pandolf’

Comparison of Ruthless Rulers in Poetry

• Themes of Power and Control

  • Both poems highlight the themes of arrogance and heartlessness in rulers.

  • Ozymandias and the Duke from "My Last Duchess" are depicted as wielding absolute power over their subjects.

• Critique of Authority

  • Both Percy Bysshe Shelley (author of Ozymandias) and Robert Browning (author of My Last Duchess) were vocal critics of abusive power.

  • Their experiences and views during their lifetimes influenced their representation of power in these poems.

Analysis of Ozymandias

• Imagery and Tone

  • The narrator describes the statue of Ozymandias as having a "sneer of cold command," which implies contempt and a sense of superiority.

  • The alliteration in "cold command" reinforces the harshness of the ruler's demeanor and his indifference to suffering.

Analysis of My Last Duchess

• Finality of Control

  • The Duke's actions, expressed in the line "…gave commands/ then all smiles stopped," suggest his ruthless exercise of power to the extent of murder.

  • The use of sibilance in "smiles stopped" emphasizes the abrupt end of joy and life, similar to the tone found in Ozymandias.

Similarities in Technique

• Both poets employ similar literary techniques:

  • Alliteration and Sibilance:

  • Shelley uses alliteration in Ozymandias to illustrate the coldness of power.

  • Browning uses sibilance in My Last Duchess to highlight the finality of the Duke's control.

Conclusion

• Both poems serve as powerful critiques of the corrupting influence of power and the ultimate horrors that can result from it, illustrating the tragic consequences faced by those subjected to tyrannical rule.