Ozymandias

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1818

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

The Statue

Much of the imagery of Shelley’s poem contains specific details of the statue, and the symbolic meaning of the statue in its crumbling state impacts the reader’s understanding of the both tone and themes of the poems. The statue, in reality, is an enormous piece of art that attests to the grandness of Ramses II and his successful leadership of a powerful military state. “Ozymandias,” as a literary work of art, complements the statue on which it is based by assuring immortality for the subject of both the poem and monument.

At the same time, the poem’s depiction of the statue of Ozymandias represents the myopic pride and hubris of man, particularly those in a position of power. While Shelley’s source, Diodorus Siculus, notably describes an intact statue sitting upright (“In so great a work there is not to be discerned the least flaw, or any other blemish”), Shelley’s monument is broken, referred to as “that colossal Wreck” (Line 13).

The Desert

Shelley’s “lone and level sands” (Line 14) represent, on the most basic level, the passage of time, but the desert is also characterized by a sense of passivity. Ozymandias’s statue was not toppled by his rival kings or by any of the forces he might have feared. Rather it was sand, a natural feature that cannot be stopped or reasoned with, that has slowly eroded his features over millennia. Soon, it will obscure him completely. Shelley reminds us that there are forces in this world—like time and nature—that are insurmountable by man.

The changeability of sand, and the desert landscape as a whole, also reminds the reader of the impermanence of life. Sand is a granular material that temporarily takes the form of whatever vessel or rigid surface with which it comes into contact; it moves quickly in response to wind, gravity, and other forces at play in a natural landscape. The mutable characteristics of sand emphasize the inevitable changes that come with the passage of time, something that makes human characteristics such as pride, ambition and vanity seem short-sighted and pointless. Ironically, while life in a general sense is marked by transience, the existence the poem itself demonstrates that records of past history can offer something approaching permanence.

The Face

Shelley’s sonnet contains many striking images, the face of the statue that peeks out from the sandy desert landscape one of the most notable. The facial expression that is visible appears haughty, even in its fallen state: “a shattered visage lies, whose frown, / And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command” (Lines 4-5). The poem credits the sculptor of the monument, noting their cleverness in recreating the pharaoh’s expression so well that, even when the statue is in ruins, the pharaoh’s “passions [../..] yet survive” (Lines 6-7).

The face of the statue, like any human face, reveals the inner workings of an individual, and in this instance, the sculptor has memorialized the pharaoh’s displeasure and disdain. The “passions” that endure on the face of the statue imply that the pharaoh experienced powerful emotions when he was displeased, and his frown and curled lip suggest a man on the verge of violence. These emotions and the implied consequences of his moods are inextricably linked with his power and ability to effect wide-ranging change.

However, as the forces of nature degrade the statue, the pharaoh’s visible displeasure and anger, as conveyed in his expression, will become increasingly unrecognizable, diminishing the memory of his control and reinforcing the theme of transience.