Question

Q In what ways does this poem reflect the Romantic imagination?

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SHELLEY: “OZYMANDIAS”
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.

Answer 1

Shelley's poem "Ozymandias" reflects the Romantic imagination in several ways. First, it highlights the theme of nature's power and man's transience. The statue of Ozymandias, the king of kings, has been reduced to ruins, and nature has reclaimed its space in the form of the desert sands that have covered it. This theme reflects the Romantic notion of the power of nature and the insignificance of man's achievements in comparison.

Second, the poem highlights the importance of imagination and creativity in creating art. The sculptor who created the statue of Ozymandias was able to capture the passions of the king and bring them to life. The poem thus emphasizes the role of the artist as a visionary who can create something enduring out of the transitory.

Finally, the poem suggests that the pursuit of power and glory is ultimately futile. Ozymandias, who once boasted of his greatness, is now forgotten, and his works have crumbled to dust. This theme reflects the Romantic view that the pursuit of material success and power is empty and that true value lies in the beauty of the natural world and the human imagination.

Reference:

Shelley, P.B. (1818). Ozymandias. The Examiner, 14 January.