Question

What line best indicates the state of the statue?" (In "OZYMANDIAS")

Options

"Round the decay/Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare"

"And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, / Tell that its sculptor well those passions read / Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things," (Lines 5-7)

"And on the pedestal these words appear: / My name is Ozymandias, king of kings" (Lines 9-10)

The speaker describes her tomb as a "house," showing she views her body's final resting place as one of comfort rather than fear."I met a traveller from an antique land / Who said: ‘Two vast and trunkless legs of stone / Stand in the desert...'" (Lines 1-3)

Answer 1

"Round the decay/Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare"

Step-by-step explanation:

Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "Ozymandias" describes a traveler's encounter with an ancient statue of Ozymandias and how dilapidated it had become. The poem is suggestive of the destructive power of nature and how man's works seemed mere obstacles for the stronger power of nature.

In the words of the poet through the traveler, we can know that the once-mighty statue of Ozymandias had now become "a shattered visage [with] wrinkled lip." Though proudly displayed with the words "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!", the only thing that remained is a "decay[ing] colossal wreck".

The words "decay" and "colossal wreck" best indicate the state of the statue.

Thus, the correct answer is the first option.