Secure those grade 7-9 marks with this detailed analysis of Ozymandias, exploring how Shelley uses irony, imagery, and structure to highlight the transient nature of power and the inevitable decline of human achievement.
Analysis
"Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley tells the story of a traveller who encounters a ruined statue in the desert, once a grand monument to a powerful ruler named Ozymandias. The poem explores themes of power, arrogance, and the inevitable decline of human achievements. Despite Ozymandias's boastful inscription proclaiming his greatness, the statue lies broken and forgotten, buried in the sand. Shelley's vivid imagery and simple language convey the fleeting nature of power and the humbling reality of mortality. The poem prompts readers to reflect on the impermanence of earthly ambitions and the ultimate insignificance of human endeavours against the forces of time.
00:00 Introduction
00:05 Historical and biographical context
01:38 Structural overview
02:28 Title
03:58 Line-by-line analysis
Additional Resources
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Check out the rest of my videos on the poems from the AQA Power and Conflict anthology: [ Ссылка ]
Check out the rest of my videos on the poems from the Eduqas/WJEC anthology: [ Ссылка ]
Check out the rest of my videos on the poems from the Cambridge iGCSE 2025 anthology: [ Ссылка ]
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The Poem
Text of Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert... Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed;
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. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
About Me
I’m an experienced English teacher with over 25 years of classroom and private tutoring experience. My videos are tailored to help students achieve top marks in AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas/WJEC, CCEA and Cambridge IGCSE English exams.
Please note that any literature analysis is highly subjective and may disagree with analysis by another person. All interpretations are valid if they can be justified by reference to the text. This interpretation is my own: it is not exhaustive and there are alternatives!
Let’s Discuss!
What do you think of the way Shelley uses imagery in Ozymandias to convey the idea of the impermanence of power? How does the poem use the contrast between the statue’s inscription and its physical decay to comment on the hubris of rulers? Do you think the poem reflects any universal truths about the fleeting nature of human achievement? Share your thoughts in the comments!
