P. B. Shelley – Ozymandias | Summary, Themes & Analysis

P. B. Shelley – Ozymandias

Ozymandias (1818) is a powerful sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley that explores the themes of impermanence, the arrogance of power, and the destructive force of time. Through vivid imagery and sharp irony, Shelley shows that all human power and glory are temporary.

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Background of the Poem

The poem is inspired by the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II, known in Greek as Ozymandias. Shelley wrote the poem during the Romantic period, when poets often questioned authority, monarchy, and tyranny.

The poem is framed as a story told by a traveller, giving it a distant and reflective tone.

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Form and Structure

Ozymandias is a sonnet, but it does not strictly follow the traditional Petrarchan or Shakespearean pattern. Shelley deliberately breaks regular rhyme schemes to reflect the poem’s theme of decay and collapse.

• 14 lines
• Iambic pentameter
• Irregular rhyme scheme

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Line-wise Summary

Lines 1–2: The Traveller’s Tale

The speaker meets a traveller who describes seeing the ruins of a statue in a desert. The indirect narration adds distance and emphasises the passage of time.

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Lines 3–4: The Broken Statue

The traveller describes:

• two vast, trunkless legs of stone
• a shattered face half-buried in sand

These images immediately suggest destruction and decay.

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Lines 5–8: The Sculptor’s Skill

The facial expression shows:

• a sneer of cold command
• pride and cruelty

Ironically, although Ozymandias’s empire has vanished, the sculptor has successfully preserved his tyrannical nature.

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Lines 9–11: The Boast of Power

The pedestal bears the inscription:

“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

This proud declaration contrasts sharply with the surrounding emptiness.

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Lines 12–14: The Irony of Ruin

The poem ends by describing the vast, empty desert surrounding the ruins. Nothing remains of the king’s great works.

This contrast creates powerful irony: the king who claimed eternal greatness is now forgotten.

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Central Themes

• Impermanence of Power – political power does not last.
• Time as Destroyer – time erodes all achievements.
• Pride and Arrogance – human vanity leads to downfall.
• Art vs Power – art outlives political authority.

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Important Symbols

• Broken Statue – collapse of human pride.
• Desert – emptiness and oblivion.
• Inscription – arrogance of rulers.
• Sculptor – enduring power of art.

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Use of Irony

Irony is central to the poem:

• the boast of greatness contrasts with ruin
• the king’s power is gone, but his cruelty remains visible
• the statue meant to immortalise power shows its failure

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Romantic Ideas in the Poem

• challenge to political authority
• belief in the superiority of imagination and art
• criticism of tyranny and oppression
• emphasis on time and nature over human ambition

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Critical Analysis

• The poem is a political warning against tyranny.
• Its frame narrative adds historical distance.
• Imagery is visual and memorable.
• Irony reinforces the poem’s moral lesson.
• It remains one of the most quoted Romantic sonnets.

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Quick Revision Table

Aspect	Details
Poet	P. B. Shelley
Poem	Ozymandias
Year	1818
Form	Sonnet
Main Theme	Impermanence of power
Key Device	Irony
Romantic Trait	Critique of authority