Ozymandias - Poem Analysis

Summary

This video script offers a detailed analysis of Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem 'Ozymandias.' It explores the themes of the power of nature, the arrogance of man, and the impermanence of human achievements. The poem tells the story of a traveler who encounters the remnants of a once-great statue in the desert, symbolizing the fall of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II. The traveler's account reveals the vanity of the king's belief in his enduring legacy, contrasting it with the inevitable decay and the boundless emptiness of the desert, emphasizing the ultimate triumph of nature over human ambition.

Takeaways

• 📜 The poem 'Ozymandias' by Percy Bysshe Shelley is analyzed, focusing on themes of power, nature, and legacy.
• 🏺 The poem references Ramesses II, an Egyptian pharaoh known for his great empire and lasting structures.
• 🗣️ The narrative is told from the perspective of a traveler who recounts the remains of Ramesses II's once grand statue.
• 🏜️ The setting of the poem is in a desert, symbolizing emptiness and the barren aftermath of a once-great civilization.
• 🗿 The statue's description portrays it as immense yet broken, highlighting the theme of the impermanence of human achievements.
• 😠 The facial expressions on the statue suggest a harsh and commanding leader, with a frown, wrinkled lip, and sneer.
• 🗝️ The use of alliteration and harsh sounds in the poem emphasizes the cruelty and commanding nature of the depicted leader.
• 📝 The inscription on the statue's pedestal reveals the arrogance of Ozymandias, who believed his works would inspire awe and despair.
• 🔄 The poem contrasts the arrogance of Ozymandias with the reality of his decaying statue, showing the ultimate power of nature over human creations.
• 🌵 The final lines of the poem emphasize the boundless emptiness of the desert, symbolizing the insignificance of human legacy in the face of nature's enduring presence.
• 📚 The overall message of the poem is a reflection on the power of nature, the mortality of human endeavors, and a critique of arrogance and the overestimation of one's legacy.

Q & A

Who is the poet Percy Shelley and what period did he live in?

Percy Shelley was a Romantic poet who lived between 1792 and 1822. He primarily focused on themes of the power of nature and praising nature in his poems.

What is the significance of the title 'Ozymandias' in the poem?

The title 'Ozymandias' refers to a real-life Pharaoh of Egypt, Ramesses II, known as a great ruler who built a great empire and commissioned many statues and temples.

What does the 'traveler' symbolize in the poem 'Ozymandias'?

The 'traveler' symbolizes a worldly individual who has many stories to tell, coming from an antique land, which is an allusion to Egypt, and provides an authentic perspective of the story of Ozymandias.

What is the significance of the 'vast and trunkless legs of stone' in the poem?

The 'vast and trunkless legs of stone' represent the remains of a once-great statue of Ozymandias, now half-buried in the sand, symbolizing the decay of the once-mighty civilization.

What connotations does the word 'frown' in the poem suggest about Ozymandias?

The word 'frown' suggests that Ozymandias may have been an ill-tempered or harsh leader, giving connotations of a dictator or a commanding authoritarian figure.

How does the poem use the word 'decay' to convey a message?

The word 'decay' is used to convey the message of the inevitable decline and ruin of man-made structures and civilizations, emphasizing the power of nature over human creations.

What is the significance of the inscription on the pedestal in the poem?

The inscription on the pedestal, 'My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings,' signifies the arrogance and self-importance of Ozymandias, who believed his legacy would live on forever.

What is the contrast presented in the poem between the proclamation of Ozymandias and the reality of his legacy?

The contrast lies in Ozymandias' arrogant belief that his works would cause others to despair with awe, while in reality, nothing beside the decay of his colossal wreck remains, highlighting the impermanence of human achievements.

What themes are explored in the poem 'Ozymandias'?

The themes explored in the poem include the power of nature, the ignorance of man, the fallacy of arrogance, legacy and mortality, and the ultimate message that nature is more powerful than any human endeavor.

How does the structure of the poem contribute to its themes and message?

The structure of the poem, being a Petrarchan sonnet with an octave and a sestet, contributes to its themes by first presenting the theme and argument in the octave, and then intensifying or reinforcing it in the sestet, with the final lines emphasizing the emptiness and failure of Ozymandias' legacy.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Introduction to 'Ozymandias' and Percy Shelley

This paragraph introduces the video's focus on analyzing Percy Shelley's poem 'Ozymandias.' It provides background on Shelley as a Romantic poet (1792-1822), emphasizing his themes of nature's power and his wife Mary Shelley, the author of 'Frankenstein.' The poem's title refers to Ramesses II, an Egyptian pharaoh known for his extensive building projects and lasting influence. The speaker sets the scene with the encounter of a traveler from an ancient land, hinting at the poem's exploration of legacy and the impermanence of human achievements.

05:01

🗿 Analyzing the Statue of Ramesses II in 'Ozymandias'

The second paragraph delves into the description of the statue of Ramesses II, focusing on its ruined state in the desert. The traveler's account reveals two immense stone legs, symbolizing the remnants of a once-great empire. The statue's facial expressions, described with negative connotations such as 'frown,' 'wrinkled lip,' and 'sneer of cold command,' suggest a harsh and authoritarian ruler. The traveler interprets the statue's expressions as indicative of Ramesses II's personality, reflecting the sculptor's skill in capturing these characteristics. The paragraph highlights the poem's themes of the fleeting nature of power and legacy.

10:02

👑 The Arrogance and Fall of Ramesses II as Portrayed in 'Ozymandias'

This paragraph discusses the inscription on the statue's pedestal, which proclaims Ramesses II as 'King of Kings,' reflecting his arrogance and self-importance. The inscription commands future generations to despair at the greatness of his works, suggesting an expectation of enduring legacy. However, the poem contrasts this with the reality of the statue's decay, emphasizing the ultimate insignificance of human achievements against the backdrop of nature's enduring power. The traveler's account shifts from the traveler's interpretation to the poem's overarching message about the impermanence of man-made structures and the inevitable decay of even the most powerful legacies.

15:03

🏜 The Power of Nature and the Theme of 'Ozymandias'

The final paragraph summarizes the main themes of 'Ozymandias,' including the power of nature, the ignorance of human arrogance, and the concepts of legacy and mortality. It highlights the poem's message that nature will ultimately overpower all human creations, and that our legacies are transient. The video concludes by emphasizing the poem's reflection on the futility of human pride and the enduring power of nature, encouraging viewers to appreciate the poem's exploration of these themes.

Keywords

💡Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley was an English Romantic poet, active from 1792 to 1822. His work often focused on the power of nature and its ability to inspire and influence human emotion and thought. In the context of the video, Shelley is the author of the poem 'Ozymandias,' which is the central subject of analysis, reflecting on themes of legacy, power, and the impermanence of human achievements.

💡Romanticism

Romanticism was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century. It emphasized emotion, individualism, and the beauty of nature. In the video, the term is used to describe Shelley's status as a Romantic poet, indicating his focus on the power of nature and the sublime in his poetry, as exemplified by the poem 'Ozymandias.'

💡Ozymandias

Ozymandias is the Greek name for the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II, known for his great empire and monumental building projects. In the video, the poem 'Ozymandias' uses the image of the fallen statue of this Pharaoh to explore themes of the fleeting nature of power and the ultimate triumph of nature over human ambition.

💡Desert

The desert is a landscape characterized by its barrenness and lack of water. In the video, the desert serves as the setting for the poem 'Ozymandias,' symbolizing emptiness and the decay of once-great civilizations. The script describes the statue of Ramesses II as being 'half sunk' in the desert sands, illustrating the theme of the impermanence of human achievements.

💡Monument

A monument is a structure or object created to commemorate a person or event, often reflecting the power and influence of the subject. In the script, the 'vast and trunkless legs of stone' refer to the remains of a monument dedicated to Ozymandias, symbolizing the once-mighty ruler and his now-decayed empire.

💡Legacy

Legacy refers to the lasting impact or influence of a person, idea, or achievement. The video discusses the theme of legacy in the context of the poem, where Ozymandias' once-great works have crumbled, leaving behind only the remnants of his statue. This reflects the idea that no matter how powerful or influential one may be, their legacy is ultimately subject to the passage of time and the forces of nature.

💡Impermanence

Impermanence is the concept that all things in existence are transient and subject to change. The video uses the poem 'Ozymandias' to convey the idea of impermanence, showing how the once-mighty empire of Ramesses II has been reduced to a shattered statue in the desert, emphasizing the temporary nature of human achievements.

💡Arrogance

Arrogance is a characteristic of excessive pride or self-importance. In the script, the inscription on Ozymandias' statue, 'Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!' is cited as an example of arrogance, as it reflects the Pharaoh's belief in the eternal nature of his achievements and his command for others to acknowledge his greatness.

💡Nature

Nature represents the natural world and its inherent power and beauty. The video emphasizes the theme of nature's power, suggesting that it is more enduring than human creations. The poem 'Ozymandias' contrasts the decay of the statue with the vast, unchanging desert, highlighting nature's ultimate triumph over human ambition.

💡Sestet

A sestet is a six-line stanza often used in poetry, including sonnets. In the video, the sestet of 'Ozymandias' is discussed as a shift from the traveler's description of the statue to a reflection on the themes of the poem, including the power of nature, arrogance, and the impermanence of human achievements.

💡Mortality

Mortality refers to the condition of being subject to death. The video discusses the theme of mortality in relation to the poem 'Ozymandias,' where the speaker reflects on the inevitability of death and the fleeting nature of human life and accomplishments, as symbolized by the decay of Ozymandias' once-great empire.

Highlights

Introduction to the poem 'Ozymandias' by Percy Bysshe Shelley, a Romantic poet known for his focus on the power of nature.

The poem refers to a real-life Egyptian Pharaoh, Ramses II, known for his great empire and influence.

Analysis of the poem's structure, revealing the contrast between the traveler's account and the direct speech.

The traveler's description of the statue's remnants in the desert, symbolizing the fall of a once-great civilization.

Interpretation of the statue's facial expressions as indicative of Ramses II's harsh and commanding nature.

The use of alliteration in the poem to emphasize the cruelty and commanding nature of Ozymandias.

The traveler's interpretation of the statue as a reflection of Ozymandias's personality and legacy.

The poem's theme of the impermanence of human achievements and the enduring power of nature.

The contrast between Ozymandias's arrogance and the reality of his decaying statue.

Analysis of the inscription on the pedestal, revealing Ozymandias's pride and proclamation of his works.

The irony of Ozymandias's belief in the permanence of his legacy versus the poem's depiction of its decay.

The poem's structure as a Petrarchan sonnet with a unique rhyme scheme, deviating from the traditional form.

The use of enjambment in the final lines to emphasize the emptiness and failure of Ozymandias's legacy.

The tone shift from reflective and matter-of-fact to confident and arrogant, then to sarcastic and mocking.

The message of the poem highlighting the themes of man versus nature, arrogance, legacy, and mortality.

The conclusion emphasizing the power of nature over man-made creations and the lesson against arrogance.

A call to action for viewers to like, subscribe, and engage with the content for future videos.

Transcripts

hello and welcome to another chus video

in today's video we're going to be

analyzing the poem aim mandas by pass

shell so firstly a bit of information

about our poets pery shell lived between

1792 and 1822 he was a romantic poet

which meant that he primarily focused in

his poems on the themes of the power of

nature and praising nature his second

wife was Mary shy who wrote the

Frankenstein the title ofas actually

refers to a real life monarch of Egypt a

pharaoh so this is an illusion to

pharaoh to the Pharaoh known as Ramsey

II it's the Greek name for rames II um

he was known as a great ruler who ruled

for quite a big chunk of time from 1279

to 1213 BC um he built a great Empire or

civilization um and he was a great

Monarch in terms of the realm of

influence that he

created so he commissioned many statues

many temples and we're going to see how

that's important when we get to the

poem I met a traveler 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

vage lies whose frown

so the I personal pronoun the speaker

talks and he relates he's going to

relate from his perspective what he

hears from The Traveler and then we're

going to see the direct speech if you

think about the word traveler or if

someone is a traveler they probably have

many stories they're probably very

worldly um and he comes from an antique

land so antique means really old and

this is an illusion to Egypt because

he's going to talk about oim mandus and

oim mandus was the pharaoh of Egypt

um and we know Egypt to be a really

really ancient an ancient place and

civilization um it is a bit of an

ambiguous line in terms of does the

traveler is he originally from Egypt or

did he just visit Egypt that's not

really made clear who said and then we

have a dash to introduce this direct

speech and this direct speech shows that

the speaker is relating the story in the

Traveler's own words the readers get the

actually actually not the speaker's

interpretation but the Traveler's

persective

so it's more authentic it's not as

embellished by it's not really

embellished by the speaker or so this

direct speech claims to offer this

unembellished version and so any

analysis or explanation is from the

Traveler's perspective and so this is

what he relates to the speaker one day

he says two vast and immense trunkless

legs of stone two VA vast means immense

trunkless means there's no body attached

legs of stones the legs of the Statue of

oim mandas um um are standing there in

this antique land they stand in the

desert So that obviously describes gives

us another clue that this antique land

is definitely Egypt because Egypt has

this desert landscape but this also

hints that later on desert give a sense

of um connotations of emptiness and

barrenness there's nothing else

remaining the civilization which ramy's

build is not there so that's a little

hint for what's to come what he's going

to actually explicitly tell us about how

the civilization has completely crumbled

over time um the ellipses over here the

dot dot dot can indicate that maybe the

traveler says other things as he's

talking and the speaker sort of cut down

what he said and focused on the part

that was important to him and that he

wants to relate but also what it could

signify is it could be giving the

readers an opportunity to think now

stand in the desert so we can just sort

of imagine this image in our head it

makes us stop and pause near them on the

sand so that's pretty self-explanatory

standing near there on the sound half

sunk shattered passage lies so so half

sunk so half buried in the sand

shattered means broken V is a face so

the face of the statue you've got the

legs on one side and then the face is

almost like halfway through halfway in

the ground it lies there it's inanimate

it's lost all its power who's frown

frown is our first indication of perhaps

this leader being a bit ill-tempered or

a little bit of a um you know giving

connotations of like a dictator or a

really harsh leader and we're going to

see more of the words coming up in the

next

line and wrinkled lip and sneer of cold

command tell that it sculptor well those

passions read which yet survive stamped

on these lifeless things the hand that

mocked them and the heart that Fed so

I've circled the word wink um wrinkled

and sneer and cold command just like I

circled frown in the previous the

previous line all of this diction is

quite negative it does not paint this um

this leader in a very sort of positive

or well-liked manner the diction

describes a bad mannered or bad tempered

ill-tempered commanding

authoritarian evil selfish

leader but a very powerful leader

nonetheless um

the the traveler really reads in into

what he sees in the Statue and how the

statue has been represented and he is

taking what the sculptor has created and

he's taking it as sort of what the

commander must have been so he's

interpreting sort of the facial

expressions notice the alliteration of

the harsh sea sound and cold command

this emphasizes how cruel a amandus

seems so it mimics the sort of clear

commanding instructions that the

traveler thinks based on based on this

expression that he seemed to have been

giving out his commanding nature it

mimics that idea this this

alliteration so this line shows us what

the what the traveler interprets about

about the face of the statue what he

sees in it in terms of what amandus must

have been like tell that its sculptor

well those passions read so he says he

sort of complements the sculpture here

and he says ais's personality seems to

have been reflected accurately in the

Statue perhaps he's read sort of

literature on the um you know hisor

analysis on Ramsey II that he says oh

okay this um this statue mirrors that

the way he compliments him very

confidently shows that maybe he has an

understanding of who oim mandus was

before he actually sees the statue and

this representation of him well those

passions read passions meaning

characteristics he read them well and he

put them into the statue in a good way

which yet survive so we're going to talk

about that how

M's Legacy does not survive but what

actually does survive here is all the

negative characteristics of him within

the space of the statue all these cruel

characteristics of OAS that's the only

thing that seems to have survived we'll

talk about what has not survived later

on stamped on these lifeless things this

lifeless thing is the statue it is um

you know and things meaning like a part

so the longevity of oas's legacy and all

the sort of lifegiving things that maybe

he created or he thinks he created or he

commanded those don't live on there a

sense of lifelessness it's dead thing

that lives on it's just on the Statue so

he hasn't been successful in sort of

preserving his legacy forever and

ever the hand that mocked them and the

heart that fed um so what I survived is

this image of a hand and heart um this

is sticy when a part represents a whole

because these are the things that have

sort of survived but they don't just

he's not just talking about the hand of

aimus that wasn't the only thing that

mocked the people them meaning the

people of oas's time the people who he

ruled over but he's referring to aim

mandus himself but by using sticy he's

emphasized that only parts of the figure

of the statue remain and so here once

again we're not it's not really positive

image that's being painted of aim mandus

um it's that he mocked his people and

the heart that fed if you think of the

connotations of fed it's almost like

consume and it's not entirely um you

know what we would like to describe a

leader as as feeding of its people

because that's a sense of like taking

from the people so aimus is described

here as being perhaps a little bit

selfish um and a little bit egotistical

and very sort of demanding of his people

but not giving them any sort of

recognition for their work or

appreciation the semicolon over here is

important it's signifies a separation

now we're going to be moving on to the

sestet of the

solet and this CET is going to be a bit

of a change from not just um you know

the traveler sort of description of

fighing this statue but we're going to

get a bit more information about the

theme of the poem coming through in the

CET and on the pedestal these words

appear my name is oie mandus King of

Kings look on my Works ye Mighty in

despair nothing bes side remains round

the decay of that colossal wreck

boundless and bare the lone and level

Sands stretch far away so on the

pedestal which is the base of the statue

these words are a this colon at the end

of the line introduces the words that

are going to that we're going to see he

says my name is azy mandus so the my

this is a sort of the use of this

personal pronoun shows this proud

Proclamation that aim mandis is making

because in his mind when people see

these um the statue years after he has

lived it's still going to be that when

they look around they're going to see

all of his work all of his legacy so

he's really proud to Proclaim my name is

O mandus King of Kings so here we have

an illusion to the sort of Godlike image

because God is supposedly Des well God

is described um in literature as being

you know the king of kings and so here

he is being extremely arrogant by

comparing his strength and power to

God's strength string and power which is

very clearly um a hyperbolic thing to do

or a very arrogant thing to do look on

my Works once again my he's saying that

he created them that he's responsible

for them we can see from like the

earliest um from the from the octave

that perhaps he was the one sort of

commanding this he probably didn't do

any of this work himself but he's taken

credit for it this is under his um under

his rulers that these Works have been

created and he says and despair you

should look upon my works and be in awe

of them you should feel how Superior I

am so some words we can use to describe

as amandas could be the fact that he's

arrogant Drunk on Power self-obsessed

egotistical ignorant Because he believes

his legacy will live

forever and that exclamation mark really

emphasizes the sense of arrogance and

then we're going to have a complete

shift we're going to have this contrast

this sense of J

toos nothing beside remains so he's just

said you should all like sort of be in

awe and worship all of my you know all

the things that I've created in my in my

lifetime or as um as a ruler um you

should despair my legacy but actually

nothing

remains and so actually instead of us

being in despair aim mandia should be in

despair because his life or his legacy

has not lived on the nothing can refer

to sort of two things you can think of

as like there's nothing next to the

Statue nothing beside remains nothing

beside the statue is left or you can

think of it as nothing is left except

for the remains of the aimus Fallen

statue his Fallen Legacy nothing beside

remains it's a really short simple

sentence with a full stop just

emphasizing how little there is left and

just really stating the facts there and

putting oim mandus sort of in his place

and that Cura in the middle of the line

the full stop really just emphasizes the

sense of finality to it

and this is going to introduce the power

of nature in this

book The Traveler continues round the

decay of that colossal wreck so Decay

like the um dilapidation the ter the

terrible state of the statue colossal

wreck this is referring to this immense

destroyed statue that's just standing

there in the desert in the middle of the

desert boundless and bare boundness

means with no limits and bare means

really empty um and this alliteration is

really powerful this harsh V sound

alliteration it almost sounds like an

echo it emphasizes how empty the

surroundings are the lone and level sand

stretch far away the enjam in these

lines further emphasizes sort of how

boundless this emptiness is the

alliteration of the l sound is really

significant it's this longing l sound

which emphasizes the isolation of the

statue and the sand stretch far away

this sibilance emphasizes or reinforces

or highlights or suggests how the desert

um how the desert stretches on forever

and ever with no sign of oie mandi's

work or his legacy or what he's left

behind in the world and we end the

inverted commas to show that it's the

end of the travelous account and thus

the end of the

poem in terms of the structure of the

poem this is a pakan or Italian Sonet

with 14 lines an arave and a CET the

octave is the first eight lines which

introdu produces the theme and the

argument and the CET is the last six

lines which intensifies or

reinforces however we can see um that

the poem does not follow the exact rhyme

scheme of a petan Sonet rather the rhyme

scheme is a b a b a c d c e d e f e f

notice as well with a structure lines 12

to 14 they enjam the run out lines

emphasize how much nothingness there is

around the statue and the failure of his

legacy to live

on the tone of the poem shifts depending

on where we are in the poem so in the

octave we can say that the tone is

perhaps reflective and even matter of

fact whereas in the CET um when we

reading the proclamation on the um on

the pedestal it's confident arrogant

self-important and then those last three

lines of the poem are sarcastic and

mocking of oim Mand his belief that he

is going to um he's going to his legacy

is going to live on the theme of the

message is really important man versus

nature the power of nature the ignorance

of man the palls of arrogance Legacy and

mortality ultimately the poet or the

speaker wishes to express how um nature

is powerful nature is more powerful than

anything that's man-made so you can

create a statue you can create a whole

civilization um but ultimately nature is

going to over power that nothing can

last forever we have a sense of

mortality our legacies are not going to

are not going to last forever or ever

but also that we shouldn't be arrogant

in terms of what nature can do that

nature is incredibly powerful and it is

more powerful than any sort of man-made

venture or ideal or

idea thank you so much for watching I

hope that you found this video helpful

please remember to like And subscribe

and I'll see you in the next one