Power Of Nature In Ozymandias

In his poem Ozymandias, Percy Shelly contrasts the enduring power of nature against mankind’s’ waning fame, thus romanticizing nature’s omnipotent influence. The speaker recounts the story of a traveler’s recollection of a shattered monument, once revered, strewn across the desert of an ancient land. While the monument was erected in reverence to reflect upon the mighty power of a man’s grand works, its ruins and decay of the man’s creation note the futility of mankind. Nature, however, is an everlasting sacred force, capable of withstanding any obstacle, ideals that emphasizes Shelly’s romantic perspective.

Shelley’s admiration of nature becomes evident in the speaker’s and traveler’s tone of adoration. When the traveler describes the land, not the village or city, as antique, he implies the invaluable and notable character of the land. The traveler further emphasizes the superiority of nature, as well as its immense power, through employing imagery of boundless sands and enduring deserts, of which surpasses the

As the traveler speaks about the memorial statue made in honor of the mighty king Ozymandias, the description of the “shattered” visage, “wrinkled” lip, and “cold” sneer create juxtaposition to the expectations of a glorious monument. The reader, therefore, is made to reflect on the fleeting fame of human works and the veracity of the king’s mighty works. The transient quality of the statue is furthered in the irony created by the king’s statement and the reality, for though the king pompously demands the spectator to look in awe at his works, but all that remains are the decaying ruins and boundless sands. Ridicule is thus inspired in the reader, for the king’s excessive pride is but a source of amusement when compared to the unending forces of