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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.”. Source: Shelley’s Poetry and Prose (1977) This Poem has a Poem Guide. View Poem Guide.
"Ozymandias" (/ ˌ ɒ z i ˈ m æ n d i ə s / o-zee-MAN-dee-əs) is a sonnet written by the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822). It was first published in the 11 January 1818 issue of The Examiner [2] of London .
The best Ozymandias study guide on the planet. The fastest way to understand the poem's meaning, themes, form, rhyme scheme, meter, and poetic devices.
Ozymandias. Percy Bysshe Shelley. 1792 –. 1822. 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,
Percy Bysshe Shelley. 99. ‘Ozymandias’ is one of Shelley's best poems, portraying a decaying statue in a desert with the inscription “Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair”. This stark imagery contrasts the once-mighty ruler's declaration, emphasizing the fleeting nature of human achievements.
“Ozymandias” has an elusive, sidelong approach to its subject. The poem begins with the word “I”—but the first person here is a mere framing device. The “I” quickly fades away in favor of a mysterious “traveler from an antique land.”
Study Guide. Summary & Analysis. When Percy Bysshe Shelley first wrote “Ozymandias” in 1817, he did so as part of a competition with his friend and fellow poet, Horace Smith. The two men each agreed to write a sonnet on the subject of Ozymandias, which is the Greek name for the ancient Egyptian king otherwise known as Rameses II.
