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The True Meaning Of The Poem 'Ozymandias' By Percy Shelly

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Without a deep understanding of the true meaning of the poem “Ozymandias” by Percy Shelly, one can easily mistakes it as a conventional romantic poem that described a journey of a curious traveler to an “antique land” of King and civilization. The poem may seems a little bland in comparison to Shelly’s other works – which focus mostly on imagination, beauty, love, and romance – and unable to evoke any critical thoughts on the hidden theme of the poem. However, reading more into the details of which how each lines in the poem are connected together exposes what the writer is trying to hide behind those details. Shelly able to do this without blatantly reveals the theme of the poem which is time and its destructive effects upon power, history, and pride of a, once, mighty Egyptian King. Aside from the theme, he also wanted to emphasize that nothing is absolute in the face nature, and …show more content…

He also creates the image that portrays the arrogance of the King himself –one of the King’s greatest pride -- and shows how the scenery around the statue contrasts that image. The King claimed himself as “king of kings” which shows how highly the King thought of himself. The words that appear on the pedestal “Look at my works, ye mighty, and despair” even shows that Ozymandias’ arrogance even goes beyond that of a mortal; he claimed that even gods can’t challenge his authority. In contrary, the line “the lone and level sands stretch far away” show the palace of sands that the statue was built on is standing humble, “level” and alone through time despite the vastness of its size. In a sense, the humbleness of time triumphs over the King’s ego. These images add more irony and meaning to the theme by showing the downfall of the King’s greatness in the face of time. Also that his glory and pride brings him nothing but the “decay” of his legacy both physically and

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