Ozymandias Q and MG

Poetry Pack: IEB HL 2023ff Ozymandias ~ P. B. Shelley Shelley was one of the great poets of the Romantic movement and, like the others of his time, was something of a revolutionary. He gave up wealth and title and joined the struggle to combat human misery and pain. He saw kings and rulers as obstacles to freedom, happiness and progress. In this poem, he shows us that tyranny does not last, and warns those in authority that they too will one day come to dust. 1. Men through the ages have raised monuments to themselves that range from the great pyramids to humble tombstones. Why do they build these monuments? 2. What do you think the king hoped to achieve by erecting a vast sculpture of himself? (In your answer, consider the size and the expression on the face of the sculpture, as well as the inscription.) 3. In what tone of voice would you read the inscription so as to make it clear what sort of person Ozymandias was? 4. Discuss the irony in this poem, commenting in particular on the line ‘The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed’ and the last three lines from ‘Round the decay’ to ‘far away’. 5. How do you think the poet felt about Ozymandias? 6. Having considered the above question, state Shelley's intention in writing this poem. How is this intention emphasised by the last lines? (Close reference to the text is required.) Shelley wrote an incomplete, earlier version of this poem, which we include here for you to compare. What has been gained (or lost) by the changes he made? There stands by Nile a single pedestal, On which two trunkless legs of crumbling stone Quiver through sultry mist; beneath the sand Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown And wrinkled lips impatient of command Betray some sculptor's art, who ... (An initially proposed title for the poem was 'On a (Stupendous Leg of Granite found in the Desert'!) © Macrat Publishing Poetry Pack: IEB HL 2023ff SUGGESTED ANSWERS: Ozymandias 1. When monuments are erected by a powerful king or ruler during his lifetime, the purpose is often one of self-glorification or to instil fear into neighbours and enemies. 2. The purpose of the monument to Ozymandias was self-glorification, and it was an attempt by a proud man to enhance his own prestige. The size of the monument (‘vast’) would be in proportion to his perceived importance, and his pride and conceit are evident in its expression (‘sneer’) and in the words of the inscription - as if even God Himself should feel awed by this man. 3. This would need to be read in a proud, boastful manner. 4. The irony in the poem comes from the fact that the intention of Ozymandias was to glorify himself among the people of his region. He was proud of his person, his possessions, and his kingdom, so he erected a large statue proclaiming this pride. Now the statue has survived only in a broken form, thus negating his intention, while the man himself is dead. His possessions are in the hands of others, and his former kingdom has become a desert. The line ‘The hand that mocked them ..’ is a difficult one to understand - Shelley refers to the way in which the sculptor has mocked Ozymandias by reflecting his true nature so clearly in his creation. The ‘heart’ refers to the king's heart which fed or fuelled these passions. The king, the sculptor, and the monument have all gone, or certainly deteriorated greatly in the case of the latter, and the only thing that survives is the record of the king's megalomania. 5. The poet felt that such human vanity was futile and that the king might have learnt something had he been able to see his monument in its present condition. 6. Shelley's intention was to point out the unimportance of a single man in the sweep of history. The kingdom of the once glorious king has now become a desert. The use of alliteration in the last lines (‘boundless’/’bare’/’lone’/’level sands’/’stretch’) emphasises how this ‘colossal’ monument now lies in ruins. © Macrat Publishing