A Critical Analysis of Percy B. Shelly's "Ozymandias"

Paper Summary:

A study of this famous poem that talks about the ruins of a once-great statue in a desert. The broken statue is named after Ozymandias, which is Greek for the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II who reputedly had an incredibly huge ego. The writer looks at the use of metaphors by Shelly in trying to compare this statue to the human ego. It shows how the statue wishes to say - control your vanity, no matter how famous or powerful you are. It also warns that all human power shall be obliterated in time, and all the arrogance that such power generates in those who hold it is badly misplaced.

From the Paper:

"This short poem tells the story of the remains of the past and how they lack to make any lasting impact on the lives of those in the present. The opening line, "I met a traveler from an antique land" gives the poem a mysterious air. Neither the traveler nor his location is identified which helps the reader to understand that the events that occur could have happened anywhere, any time, and to any one. Throughout this poem the traveler, as well as the speaker are kept anonymous because Shelly's goal is to keep the focus on the main subject, which is Ozymandias himself."

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