Matthew Schwartz's Explication

In his poem, “Ozymandias”, Percy B. Shelley tells a story, supposedly related to him by a visitor to the ruins of an ancient and destroyed civilization.  This traveler speaks about finding the ruins of a colossal statue, partially buried in the sand by the destructive passage of time. Ozymandias is the Greek name for the pharaoh who ruled in ancient Egypt known as Ramses II.  This pharaoh is reputed to have ruled at the time Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.

 The arrogance and cruelty of its subject, Ozymandias, are expressed in the lines….

                        “Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

                         And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,”

Arrogance is also conveyed in the lines inscribed on the statue’s pedestal:

                        “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

                         Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

 These lines ironically contrast with the situation in which the statue has been discovered.  This “king of kings” who decreed that we should “despair” when we “look on my works” is found with “nothing beside remains.”  The traveler describes conditions of “decay” and  “boundless and bare” as well as “lone and level sands stretch far away” of not only the statue but also the nearly vanished civilization he once ruled.

 While Shelley wrote this poem about the discovery of the statue of Ramses II, a pharaoh of an ancient Egyptian dynasty, he was writing at the time when Napoleon was sweeping throughout Europe in his quest to conquer and create a vast empire.  There is a universal message that Shelley conveys about despots and their mistaken belief that the grandeur will last forever.  The sculptor of the Ozymandias’ statue created the lasting legacy of the ruler’s arrogance and cruelty when he “well those passions read which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,”

     Shelley’s universal feelings about despotic rulers and governments vividly relate not only to Ramses II and Napoleon but also to our present day.  The lines to “Ozymandias” would also be the perfect description to events in Iraq in 2003 as Saddam Hussein’s statue was pulled down.  Television viewers saw the statue’s head, with Saddam’s “visage” as it was dragged through the streets while “two vast and trunkless legs” remained on the pedestal. The movie, “Planet of the Apes” can also be related to ‘Ozymandias.”  At the film’s conclusion, the lost astronaut and we, the audience, discover that it is not another planet that has been taken over by apes but instead our own Earth.  This realization occurs when the half-buried head and torch of the “Statue of Liberty” is discovered in the sand on a deserted beach.  Although Lady Liberty’s “visage” is not the same “sneer” as Ozymandias, her destruction symbolizes our civilization’s arrogance while the lost astronaut cries out that, “we blew it!”

 Percy B. Shelly has painted a vivid portrayal with descriptive words and lines in the format of a sonnet. The phrases are simple but effective in describing the picture of a once grand civilization and it’s despotic ruler that now lies in disappearing ruins.  The lines and descriptions are vivid but broad enough to relate to many civilizations and not just the Egyptian dynasty to which Ozymandias belonged. Shelley’s message is strong, clear and universal and endures for many generations. 


Pamela Thompson's Explication

    Percy Bysshe Shelley, wrote the poem ‘Ozymandias' which translates the story of a persons journey through ruins where the statue of Ramses II (Ozymandias) lays scattered throughout the desert sands. In this poem there are many detailed lined which help the reader better understand the setting for the traveler, traveling through the sands of Egypt. Shelley gives you such strong and vivid images through his simple wording to make you feel as if you are there in the desert with the traveler who discovers ‘Ozymandias'. Percy Bysshe Shelley's ‘Ozymandias' does not just explain the fall of an Egyptian pharoarh, but also in present day with the war against Iraq.
    The beginning of the poem starts off with Shelley meeting the traveler that finds the statue in the antique land. The word "antique" in the first line gives you the feeling of an old historic land mass. Lines two through five have great detail about what the traveler saw when he went to this 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, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command," The words trunkless in the first line give the reader an image of a huge statue with half of its legs standing in the sandy desert. Also the great detailed words half sunk and shattered visage give you the image of ‘Ozymandias' half sunk in the sand with a shattered face. Then in the last line wrinkled lip and the phrase sneer of cold command gives you the chilling image of ‘Ozymandias' having a strong and stern face. A face of a true ruler and a face of a person who made a difference in his time when he was the one in charge.
    As you get to the middle lines of the poem you come across the lines that express that whoever sculpted the statue of ‘Ozymandias' read him very well through the way the statue was sculpted. "Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:" Shelley's traveler expressed that the sculptor made ‘Ozymandias' through his "passions". The line that states "Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things" tells the reader that the part of him that were left had no impact on people after he was gone. The last line says that he was not a great ruler. He mocked his people and did not have a profound impact on them.
    The next few lines complete the life of the statue of ‘Ozymandias' and what he stood for. "And on the pedestal these words appear: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" The words that appear on the pedestal summarize to say that ‘Ozymandias' was acknowledged for his works, but no one remembers them. The only thing that remains of him now consists of his shattered, trunkless, lifeless statue in a destroyed civilization. At one point in ‘Ozymandias' life he was a ruler of his country and today all he happens to be is a destroyed statue.
    Finally, the last lines complete the saga of ‘Ozymandias' by telling the story of him not being a ruler but just a shattered face and a pedestal that quotes him. "Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away." Shelley uses the great detailed words such as colossal wreck, boundless, and bare to describe what remains of ‘Ozymandias'. You get the image of a huge wreck that's bare and boundless with the sands leveling the stature far away.
    Percy Shelley's poem about a once strong and effective ruler that turns into nothing has been brought up a lot in today's society. When dealing with the war in Iraq, Saddam Hussein had his statue up and the people of Iraq were sick of what he had to say and what he was doing to them so they brought down his statue just like they did in ‘Ozymandias'. Today, all that's left is the pedestal that he was on. Another country that compares Shelley's poem to goes for Africa as well.
    ‘Ozymandias' happens to be a symbolic poem on life of a ruler that once ruled in great power and then turns out to be taken down somehow and then never remembered. Shelley did a great job on explaining the effects of the aftermath of a ruler. His words help you better understand what goes on from beginning to the end.
Dustin Byrd's Explication

The poem "Ozymandias" was written by Percy Shelley as a challenge between he and another poet. The poem is describing the statue of Ramses II, Ozymandias being his Greek name, and its surroundings. "I met a traveler from an antique land ". Antique is not usually associated with a thing such as land, but here Shelley is describing a land with much history. " Who said: two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert ". The speaker is told about two huge legs that stand without a body. "Near them, on the sand half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,". Beside these legs lay the head of the staute partially covered by the sand. The stone is cracked and gives the impression of shattered glass. The frown and the wrinkled lips together give the image a "sneer of cold command". "Tell that its sculptor well those passions read which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, the hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:". This quote from the poem is speaking of the sculptor and what can be said about him by observing his work and seeing the passion that went into it. Almost infering that the sculptor is giving life to this lifeless rock. " and on the pedestal these words appear:'My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'". This was enscribed on the pedestal where this statue once stood in antiquity and the words are glorifying the man for whom the statue was made. "Nothing beside remains. Round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare the lone and level sands stretch far away." Except for the legs and the shattered face nothing else has survived time. This broken monument alone stands in the middle of the seemingly endless desert. This is Percy Shelley vivid description of the remains of the statue of Ramses II.

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