Question

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.


How does the symbol of the statue and its imagery contribute to the meaning of “Oxymandias”? Use evidence from the text to support your response. Your response should be at least two complete paragraphs.

Answer 1

A symbol of the inevitable passing of time is Ozymandias. The fact that the statue is broken and the lands are barren shows that even him and his country have been conquered by time and that the most powerful people can not fight against time. The section where he says

'Ozymandias, King of Kings, is my name:

Look at my work, ye mighty men, and desperation! '

Because it contrasts and points this out, it is great.

Answer 2

Ozymandias is a symbol of the inevitable passing of time. The fact that the statue is broken and the lands are barren shows that time has conquered even him and his country and that the most powerful people cannot fight time. The part where he says
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
is great because it contrasts and points this out. Use this as a beginning for your two paragraphs.