Zaheer 1 Oneeb Zaheer Period 6 Adv. English 9 17 April 2016 Ozymandias: Power Doesn’t Last Like a child’s innocence from foul language and dirty thinking, nothing lasts forever. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ozymandias” explores this idea in the form of the shattered statue of a king who once ruled ruthlessly. Shelley describes the king and his statue’s appearance as well as the empty space surrounding it. He originally wrote this poem in 1817, when he decided to have a sonnet writing competition with his good friend Horace Smith. The topic for the sonnets was a giant statue of an Egyptian ruler. Shelley intertwined his theme of a ruler’s power not carrying through his death around this subject, leading to a mysterious piece of work open to interpretations. Percy Bysshe Shelley uses alliteration, imagery, and personification in “Ozymandias” to illustrate the idea of power eventually fading away. Imagery in “Ozymandias” describes the desert setting and the appearance of the shattered statue. Shelley’s use of imagery conveys how the King ruled his people ruthlessly while his reign lasted. Shelley describes the face of the statute as having a “wrinkled lip” (Shelley, 5) and a “sneer of cold command” (Shelley, 5). The wrinkled lip could refer to the old age of the ruler, and further supports the notion of the King’s false belief that he will be in power forever, His facial expressions describe his oppressive and tyrannical rule. Shelley also illustrates the legs of the statue as “two vast and trunkless legs of stone” (Shelley, 2). His trunkless legs refer to bare legs without a body and symbolize his rule over the people being broken and no longer existent Zaheer 2 after his death. Shelley contrasts the simple, non­living stone legs with the realistic and lifelike sculpted face which he mentions a few lines after the legs. Along with imagery, Shelley puts heavy emphasis on use of alliteration. Alliteration is very noticeable in “Ozymandias”, further describing the desert and statue to make the poem flow better when read out loud. Shelley uses alliteration to highlight the absence of the people who once followed the King and his loneliness in death. Shelley describes the “boundless and bare” (Shelley, 13) quality of the desert and Ozymandias’ title as the “King of Kings” (Shelley, 10). The emptiness of the desert directly contrasts with Ozymandias’’ self proclaimed title. It’s as if he’s trying to call out to his people to recognize him as the powerful ruler he once was, but nobody is there to do so. Shelley also illustrates the “lone and level sands (that) stretch far away” (Shelley, 14). The desert stretching far away, practically infinitely from the point of view of one man, makes another contrast with the King’s very finite rule and limited time of power. The level sands symbolize that the king is equal with all the people he oppressed as a ruler now that he is dead. Another commonly used literary device in “Ozymandias” is personification. Personification in “Ozymandias” is obscure, yet meaningful through the multiple methods of possible interpretation. Shelley uses personification to reveal background information about the King and to describe his style of ruling when he believed he would be in power eternally.. Shelley writes about “the hand that mocked” (Shelley, 8) the sculpture, which refers to the sculptor’s hand. This refers to the lifelike expressions on the face of the sculpture. The longevity of art and the sculpted expressions of the king contrast with the King’s limited time in power. Shelley also writes about “the heart that fed” (Shelley, 8). This refers to the King’s Zaheer 3 heart in a figurative manner, illustrating his goal or purpose. By feeding it, presumably to his people, he spread his ideals and thoughts to his people in tyrannical and oppressive ways.. Believing his legacy and time in power would last forever, the King figured everyone would remember and follow under his rule no matter how he treated them. If the King had known he would eventually die and lose everything he built up, he would most likely have treated his people with kindness and honesty to earn their respect within his restricted amount of time in power. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Ozymandias uses many literary devices including personification, alliteration, and imagery to illustrate a theme of a King’s power not lasting forever. The King in the poem ruled with an iron fist, however when he died everything he had worked towards died along with it. He was abandoned and his legacy was forgotten, represented by his broken statue all alone in the desert. Ozymandias’ idealistic view of eternal power and Kingship was his downfall because it influenced the way he treated his people negatively. This theme matters today because it solidifies the idea that rulers of countries aren’t higher powers, they are just people. They will die eventually and many of their goals, aspirations, and achievements will die along with them. Knowing this, good leaders would understand to treat their people with respect to be able to receive it in return. They would also know to make impactful changes that would affect their people positively to set a precedent or possibly create fame lasting long after death. While Ozymandias was a fool whose people would never want to remember, Shelley’s poem depicting his story will be one remembered for centuries. .