Percy Bysshe Shelley

Although Shelley is one of many Romantic writers that we have been given the opportunity to study, I think his work is quite different from the others. While much of his work incorporates aspects of nature, he seems to show his affection and appreciation for nature in a much different way than other Romantic poets and writers. While I enjoyed reading most of his work, I found "Ozymandias" perplexing; I thought dissecting this work would be a challenge.

First, I did a bit of research on Ozymandias, the person. Ozymandis is another name for Ramesses the Great or Ramesses II. As the footnote explains, Ozymandias was "...thought to be the pharaoh of Exodus whom Moses challenged" (399). This Biblical reference to Ramesses II from the Bible should prepare the reader to expect eventual failure from this once great man. In the Bible, Ramesses was a great king in his own right but was eventually defeated by God and Moses and his kingdom was shattered. Therefore, the prior knowledge that I had about the story of Moses and Ramesses led me to assume that this poem would describe a similar story. My assumption was only partially correct. The poem did include important details from the rise and fall of Ozymandias, but the focus of the poem was not on whom defeated Ozymandias; rather, it focused on the short-comings of the former king. In this poem, Shelley relates that life will continue and no matter how great or powerful a person might be, their time will pass and they will be forgotten.

Shelley begins by explaining that the speaker is telling a story that he heard from a traveller: "I met a traveller from an antique land..." (399). I do not think that Shelley chose to tell this story from a second-hand point of view by accident. I have thought about it for a while, but I cannot seem to figure out why he needed the story to be an indirect account with the statue. Perhaps he designed the poem this way to further convey the idea that this once great and powerful king had been forgotten; it was up to the traveller who visited the "antique land" to tell the story to the speaker. Because the speaker does not see the statue directly, it seems to take away even more of the power that once drove Ramesses to his eventual death. Shelley continues his poem by describing what the traveller actually saw on his journey: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone...a shattered visage lies..." (399). The traveller explains that he found only parts of Ozymandias' body...the legs and the head. I found it interesting that the traveller found only part of the remains of the statue of Ozymandias. Was the statue originally made like this? I think not. I do, however think the image of a separated body and head create a disturbing picture in the mind of the reader. It shows the amount of destruction that took place in order to destroy this statue because it must have been difficult to dismember. This further defends Shelley's theme that destruction is inevitable.

Next I would like to discuss the importance of the statue's head laying in the sand and the expression on the face of the statue. The traveller explains that the face was partially covered in sand and frowning: "...Near them on the sand,/Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,/And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command..." (399). The description that the traveller reveals to the speaker once again is very dark; the statue seems angry and calloused. Ozymandias does not appear to have been a generous and happy man, but rather a prideful and mighty ruler. It is also interesting that the traveller realizes that "...its sculptor well those passions read..." because it shows the sculptors ability to capture the heart of Ozymandias in his facial expression. This is also significant because the sculptor was probably part of Ozymandias' working civilization and directly dealt with the wrath that this king poured out on his people. Shelley further emphasizes the relationship between the sculptor and Ozymandias when he mentions, "The hand that mocked them, and the hart that fed..." them (399). This line of the poem seems to convey that the sculptor probably did not know exactly how to feel about Ozymandias. On one had he felt belittled by Ozymandias and on the other, he recognizes that there must have been something within Ozymandias' heart that led him to feed his people. If I were the sculpture, I might have interpreted his actions a little differently. Often finding it difficult to trust other people's intentions due to bad experiences in my own life, I think that Ozymandias may have fed his people so they were able to continue serving him. If they worked for him and had no money for food, they would die; death of the common people was unfavorable for Ozymandias because he is selfish. The grim and self-serving expression on the statue's face reveals more about Ozymandias than it first appears. The traveller thinks the sculptor saw the good side of Ozymandias, but I tend to see things from a different perspective.

The next part of the poem that is very significant is the engraving on the pedestal that the traveller found on his journey. The statue says, "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:/Look on my works, ye Mighty , and despair!" (399). The engraving further proves the zealous pride of Ozymandias. Not only does his facial expression reveal his lofty opinion of himself, but the engraving further clarifies his inherent love for himself. He is obviously very prideful and believes that he is the end all, be all. What is ironic about Ozymandias' view of himself is that the speaker and the reader are learning about him for the first time through a statue that has long been destroyed and forgotten. It becomes clear that Shelley is trying to convince the reader that power is fleeting; nothing in this world lasts forever, no matter how awesome you are at any given point in your life. Man is unable to defeat death. I love the way he conveys this theme or idea through the ruins of an old statue.

Finally, Shelley ends the poem with a very somber tone. The traveller leaves the statue and thus ends his tale of Ozymandias: "Round the decay/Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare,/The lone and level sands stretch far away" (399). The traveller tells the speaker that he left the statue to rest alone, with nothing surrounding it but the sand far and wide. It seems as if seeing this statue inspired something within the traveller, or at least he was inspired enough to pass his findings along to the speaker. Again, I think Shelley ends the poem this way to make sure his purpose of the poem is clear. He wants everyone that reads this poem to understand that loving yourself more than others and having an attitude of pride will eventually lead to destruction. If you leave this world a hero, a saint, or a peasant, you still leave this world. He makes this point by showing the demise of the great king Ozymandias, despite the strength of his nation and pride in his success.

Reading this poem makes me wonder if Shelley felt like anyone in his life was too prideful. It is true that writers oftentimes uses lessons or experiences in their own lives to find material to use in their work. Therefore, I am led to think that there must have been someone in his life that help their head just a little too high. Did Shelley think that he was too prideful himself?