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What's the meaning of: 'Half sunk, a shattered visage lies'?
The head/ broken face of a statue lies half-buried by the sand.
What's the meaning of: 'Two vast a trunkless legs of stone'?
Two huge stone legs with no body attached.
What's the meaning of: 'It's sculptor well those passions read, Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things'?
The sculptor did a brilliant job of recreating the brutal face of Ozymandias. The facial expression remains on the rock (although the leader is long dead).
What form does the poem take?
Sonnet. (Petrarchan sonnet - Shakespearean sonnet - New sonnet)
What is the significance of the poem's irregular rhyme structure and changing sonnet form?
Nothing is permanent. Power will eventually crumble away (like the statue).
Which method is used here and what is its effect? 'sneer of cold command'
Alliteration. Hard C sound. Emphasises anger and brutality of leader.
What are the two possible interpretations of biblical reference 'Ozymandias, king of kings'? (Jesus was sometimes known as the king of kings)
1) Ozymandias was so arrogant and powerful that he saw himself as a Jesus figure. 2) Shelley was an atheist. Even the power of Jesus and God will fade.
Which structural device is used in this line and what does it symbolise? 'Nothing beside remains. Round the decay'
Caesura (the full stop in the middle) - highlights finality: the end of Ozymandias life, power, and empire.
Which structural device is used to symbolise the continuity and endlessness of the desert and the endurance of nature? Can you give an example?
Enjambment - One line flowing into the next. 'Round the decay// Of that colossal wreck,..."
Which methods are used in the poem's last line and what is the impact? 'The lone and level sands stretch far away'
Alliterantion and sibilance. Emphasises the emptiness of the desert, mimics the sound of sand blown across the desert. Where is Ozymandias' empire now?
'Look on my works ye mighty and despair!' is immediately followed by 'Nothing beside remains'. What method is this and what is the message here?
Juxtaposition - Contrasts the arrogance of Ozymandias at the height of his power with his the future when he is nothing.
What is the significance of the poem's name?
Ozy - from the Greek “ozium” which means either, ‘to breathe’ or ‘air’. Mandias - from the Greek “mandate” which means ‘to rule’.
Contextually, Shelley mocking the power of ancient ruler was a criticism of who?
King George III. Shelley was anti-monarchy and disliked the King's foreign wars.
What are the possible interpretations of the 'hand that mocked them'?
The sculptor's hand 'copied' / 'imitated' the ruler's features. AND/ OR The sculptor made fun of Ozymandias' arrogance. He knew the art would last longer!
