

Shelley also reveals his artistic skill in this poem using various literary devices.ġ) Metaphor: There is one extended metaphor used in the poem. Their use brings richness and clarity to the texts. With the help of literary devices, the writers directly or indirectly project their main ideas. Literary devices work as tools for writers to use to enrich their texts. Analysis of Literary Devices in “Ozymandias”

It shows the keen observation of the traveler on the one hand, and the artistic skills of a sculptor on the other. The name indicates the readers to look at the massive statue of the mighty king, but the ruined state means that nothing remains after one’s death, even if he is a king. The lifeless statue has the name, Ozymandias, the kings of kings, on its pedestal. He also explains the expressions of the statue such as the “frown” and “sneer of cold command,” which indicates that the sculptor has made the statue to speak for itself. The traveler expresses that the statue was broken two legs were standing without a body and head was half sunk in the sand. Major Themes: The poem comprises emotions of a traveler, who imagines the story of ruins of a statue in a desert. However, what stays in the minds of the readers is the impacts of the transience of life and permanence of art. The expression of wonder starts from the first line and runs throughout the poem. The poem explores the fun of art and beauty in the natural world. Ozymandias as a Representative of Art and Culture: As this poem is written about a ruined statue, it presents the perspective of a young traveler who provides a detailed description of the scattered ruins of the statue.

Ozymandias is a Greek name of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II who ruled around 1300 B.C, and his statue is said to be the main inspiration of the poem. The poem was composed to show the fragility of life and fame and to remind that nothing lasts forever. It was published on Jissue of The Examiner in London. Popularity: Ozymandias, a sonnet written by Percy Bysshe Shelley, a famous romantic poet, is a timeless masterpiece among poetries. The lone and level sands stretch far away.” Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! 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 trunk less legs of stone
