Formalism+in+Ozymandias



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media type="custom" key="12842172"First, the grandiose imagery used by Shelley in the poem not only reflects the power of its subject, but also amplifies the significance of the poems conclusion. At the heart of this poem lies the statue itself. It is important to know that Ozymandius was the Greek name for Ramesses II of Egypt, otherwise known as Ramesses the Great. Ramesses was “Pharoah of the nineteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt. He is believed to have taken the throne in his early twenties and to have ruled Egypt from 1279 BCE to 1213 BCE” (Barnet 651). Though long dead, the scope of his power is still felt through the sheer size of the wrecked statue, and the emotion still clearly sculpted into its face. The traveler clearly describes its “frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command” (Shelly). The emotions chiseled into the stone embody the late pharaoh’s belief of his godliness among men. The air of dominance emanating from the visage tell the reader that Ozymandius’s power was all-encompassing, and that his dominion would never be questioned. The vast desert surrounding the monument also offers a great example of imagery. The sensation induced when the reader comprehends that Ozymandias’s empire has been reduced to nothing is like an emotional punch to the gut. media type="custom" key="12842176"Irony plays an important role in the poem as well. The inscription on the statue is the basis for this irony. The inscription states “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” (Shelly). One would then expect to gaze in awe of the sculpture’s magnificent backdrops; of a vast empire. The empty desert the reader is then introduced to provides a staggering juxtaposition to the words written on the statue’s inscription. Where was this great man’s kingdom? The desolation surrounding the monument provides an answer, but not the one Ozymandias would have wanted. What was once his empire is now utterly barren, crumbled, like the statue itself. The words on Ozymandias’s pedestal are ironic not only because they mock his own worldly intentions, but because they serve as a cautionary tale to any who seek to leave a legacy. Those looking to immortalize themselves in some way, mighty or otherwise, should indeed despair, for everything returns to nothingness eventually. In fact, the name Ozymandias is itself ironic. Aaron Biterman and Bill Bower write that “Ozy comes from the Greek "ozium," which means to breath, or air. Mandias comes from the Greek "mandate," which means to rule. Hence, Ozymandias is simply a "ruler of air" or a "ruler of nothing””.    media type="custom" key="12842180"Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ozymandias” is an unsettling reminder that everything ultimately returns to dust. The imagery of the poem is epic in its scale, whispering allusions of a once great empire now all but gone, engulfed by sand. Irony provides the message; its purpose to show the reader the futility of the vanity Ozymandias possessed. It is a commentary to all who may try to immortalize their place in history. If anything positive can be gleaned from this poem, maybe it’s that permanence can only live in memories and ideals. Still, even these are not eternal.

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