Ozymandias
Summary :
The Narrator: The narrator starts the
poem with the
introduction as to how the traveller had
narrated his
trip to the ancient land.
The Traveler: Two huge yet without the
upper part of
the body sculptures stood in the desert.
Near them lay
a shattered face, which had a frown and
a wrinkled
expression on his face. The face also
held a hostile
expression of cold command. The
expression could be
read very well on these lifeless things
because of the
sculptor’s artistry. On the pedestal
appeared the words
of the king himself. It read that his
name was
Ozymandias, king of kings, who commanded
the
forthcoming rulers to look up to him,
and be saddened
by the fact that they can never beat the
glory he had
achieved.
Ozymandias: I am Ozymandias, king of all
kings: look
upon my work and be despaired by my
might, which
you can never surpass.
5. a) “The hand that mocked them, and
the heart that fed”. Whose hand and heart has poet referred to in this line?
The expression ‘the hand that mocked’
refers to the sculptor’s skill in reproducing king Ozymandias’s facial
expressions in stone and ‘the heart that fed’ refers to the arrogance of the
conceited king Ozymandias who considered himself to be the mightiest of the
mighty.
b) “My name is Ozymandias, king of
kings.” Why does Ozymandias refer to himself as king of kings? What quality of
the king is revealed through this statement?
Answer- The king Ozymandias described
himself as the king of kings because he was very proud of his power, position
and glory, he thought himself to be the greatest of all kings
It shows the vanity and pretentiousness
of the arrogant king.
c) “Look on my works, ye mighty and
despair!” Who is Ozymandias referring to when he speaks of “ye mighty”? Why
should they despair?
He is referring to his fellow kings who
consider themselves to be very
powerful,mighty and great.
He feels that his greatness is unparalleled,
for nobody can overpass the greatness and strength of him,it would pale their
achievements into insignificance and give them reasons to be ashamed and
dejected.
d) ‘Bring out the irony in the poem.
Answer: The once powerful king who
glorified himself through a grand statue
with the thought of immortalizing himself,
is no more Time devoured all his
grandeur and magnificence and his statue is shattered into pieces; lying
neglected and half-buried in the sand.Today his challenge to all fellow kings
sounds hollow and the inscription on the
pedestal with the trunkless legs ironically mocks at Ozymandias’s claim to
power and might.
e) ‘Nothing beside remains’. What does
the narrator mean when he says these words?
Answer: Apart from the trunkless legs on
the pedestal and a shattered visage, no remains of the once grand statue can be
seen in the vast desert. By saying this, the narrator tries to highlight that
even Ozymandias had not realized that time will wipe out everything and
fragments of the broken statue will lie neglected in the sand.
f) What is your impression of Ozymandias
as a king?
Answer-Ozymandias like many other kings
is proud, arrogant and a conceited king.
He considered himself incomparable in regard to his greatness and achievements.
He was a shortsighted person with a condescending attitude who never could
realize that everything in the world is subject to decay, decline and
destruction with no exception.
g) What message is conveyed through the
poem.
Answer-The Might and majesty of a king
do not last. Only great art endures for a period of time. The statue
symbolizing the glory of pharaoh has crumbled. Now except some fine pieces of
work by the sculptor nothing else remained. The poem compels us to realize that
‘time plays its final hand on every living and non-living creation and a proud
king like Ozymandias is of no exception’.
Question 7:
Shelley's sonnet follows the traditional
structure of thefourteen-line Italian sonnet, featuring an openingoctave, or
set of eight lines, that presents a conflict ordilemma, followed by a sestet,
or set of six lines, thatoffers some resolution or commentary upon
theproposition introduced in the octave.
Poetic Device Lines from the poem
Alliteration ...and sneer of cold commandSynecdoche (substitution of a part to
stand for the whole, or the whole to stand for a part)the hand that mock'd
themRepitition King of Kings Personification
the hand that mocked them
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