The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,Īnd wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone You can probably find audio of it on the internet (which I recommend), but I can't youtube at work. Nimoy reads these quotes aloud, in this game, and '"And on the pedestal these words appear: / 'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: / Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!' / Nothing beside remains."' is the chosen quote for the "Construction" technology. And for anyone unfamiliar with what my parent's comment means: In the game Civilization IV, researching a technology is accompanied by a quote. It's one of the few poems I'm at all familiar with, and I like it a lot.Įdit: Here's the poem, below, for anyone interested. Consequently, Shelley criticizes the pompous attitudes of modern political powers and presents the reality that their efforts will disappear along with their boastfulness in the future."Ozymandias" will always be in his voice in my mind. Eternally locked in a harsh, disapproving expression, his legacy is left to fade into the dust as a tyrant with no followers to “look on works” anymore. While it may have been intended to be a representation of the pharaoh’s strength and authority, it became a caricature of who Ozymandias was. The descriptions of the bleak desert and implications of the “antique land” represent the Romantics’ strong fascination towards nature, leading to the traveler’s discovery of Ozymandias’s statue. “Ozymandias” possesses many themes found within Romantic poems, such as exoticism, mystery, strong emotions, irony, and criticism of higher authority. Aside from this, the use of assonance in “an antique land” of line 1 and alliteration in line 5’s “cold command” emphasizes the respective mystique of far-off lands and stiffness in Ozymandias’s expression. There is extremely strong imagery in the descriptions of the broken statue, demonstrating the significance within its shattered state and detailed etchings. Similarly, the use of figurative devices are also used to convey meaning in this poem. The poem is then reminiscent of a parable or lament, expressing deep emotion and presenting a moral lesson. This poetic form conveys power and might, especially when read aloud, and builds a sense of lyricism. There are 14 lines, irregular and run-on, following a ABABACDCEDEFEF rhyme scheme. This poem is a sonnet written as a block of text in iambic pentameter.
Despite the statue’s decaying visage, the traveler makes note of how Ozymandias’s eroded sneer was “mocked” by the sculptor’s hands, thus presenting the view that everything eventually falls to dust. However, the second speaker of this poem, the traveler, sheds more light onto their attitude towards what they witnessed during their journey. Therefore, there are little to no descriptions of how this speaker felt towards Ozymandias. This poem mainly consists of the persona quoting the traveler’s words, the former only speaking very briefly to provide context on how the latter fits into the rest of the poem. “Ozymandias” is told from the perspective of a speaker who meets a traveler with a story to share and recalls the details of the said traveler’s tale. This statement, unfortunately, falls upon deaf ears and is only greeted by the vast, lonely expanse of the desert sands ahead. The engraved words present a proclamation of pride: Ozymandias was the “King of Kings” and all who stumble upon what is left of him should tremble and “despair” at his might. The poem first begins with a general view of the statue-two severed stone legs and a crumbling face resting in the sand-before delving into more detailed descriptions like the stern expression on the statue’s face and the inscription on its pedestal. As per its title, this poem discusses what is left of Ozymandias, the Egyptian Pharaoh Rameses II, and the remnants of his legacy based on the image of his statue falling apart in the desert.
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