Ozymandias

Ozymandias

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.' 

            First, Shelley’s use of two narrators also reminded me of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. In Frankenstein, there are circles of speakers. Similarly, in “Ozymandias,” there is the reader, the narrator, and the traveler.  I thought it was interesting that Percy Shelley would use this technique. Both works were written at about the same time: 1818. Since they were close, I’m assuming they shared ideas and, thus, used the same techniques.

Furthermore, Shelley, in “Ozymandias,” seems to mock Ozymandias.  He points out that the King once had everything, but is now left with absolutely nothing. At first, I wondered if Percy Shelley was a Christian. Ozymandias is the pharaoh Ramses the Great; Ramses is commonly mistaken for being the Pharaoh of the Exodus, but that was Ramses I. So, I initially wondered if Shelley was mocking the Pharaoh for his downfall. After looking it up, I realized, Ramses the Great was considered the “Great Ancestor” by most Egyptians after his time. He held multiple festivals, and his empire flourished during his time. Shelley was using him as an example that even a great pharaoh could fall. Ramses is mentioned in almost every excavation site within Egypt, proving his importance to Egyptian culture. He is the most famous pharaoh; He led many campaigns and even built cities. However, a couple thousand years later, he is left alone. He has nothing. He has no works to “Look on…” Shelley is using Ozymandias to comment on all of humanity. In a thousand years, nothing truly matters. None of Ramses’ great accomplishments affect the world now. He uses this example and applies it to all of humanity. None of humanity’s accomplishments matter over time. Humans have a fleeting impact within the world. Everyone, even the mighty, will fall. I see this as a rather pessimistic way of viewing the world. Percy Shelley, essentially, seems to be saying that nothing matters in the end. This view reminded me of the Dragon from Grendel a little bit—nothing matters. Either way, I’m not sure I want to believe it.