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Comparing Ozymandias 'And' Ode On A Grecian U

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The poems Ozymandias by Percy Shelley and Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats both comment on the passing of time and the survival of history, but from different perspectives. Shelley’s Ozymandias uses negative language such as his “…frown / And wrinkled lip” and his “…sneer of cold command” to form a horrible impression of Ozymandias, a “King of Kings”. This is a jab at tyranny and how after even time passes a mighty king’s empire crumbles to dust. The face and “‘Two vast and trunkless legs of stone / Stand in the desert” are the only remains of Ozymandias’ “Mighty” works, with the “…level sands [stretching] far away”. Contrastingly, the Urn that Keats makes an ode to is preserved perfectly. Keats comments that though time passes, “Thou [Urn] shalt remain, in midst of other woe”. …show more content…

The Urn is a “…foster-child of silence and slow time”, Keats using personification to fully describe the beauty of the urn. Shelley’s negative, blunt tone juxtaposing the might of Ozymandias’ past works against the current absence of his rule contrasts against Keats’ positive view of history, a moment in time, being encapsulated on the Urn for all time. However, Keats’ view of the more unpleasant events on the Urn, “Who are these coming to the sacrifice? / To what green altar, O mysterious priest”, the archaic notion of sacrifice contrasting against the beauty of past love and song within Keats’ own

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