![]() The metaphor suggests that he’s so significant that without him, his population would die.įrom Line 13 – 15 there was a contrast from the beginning explaining how nature and time had taken the king’s power away. “The heart that fed” indicates that people depend on him for them to be alive. His power made him get away with his wrongdoings. Since this was a ruin, it’s not easy to understand the ruins in detail but passerby’s if any would be able to understand that there was once a monarchy in the area, they’re in.įollowing on, the cite “The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed” portrays the king being a man who made fun of his own people. Linking with the last paragraph, the phrase “Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things gives the impression the king’s alive because of his statue which may be an accurate representation of his personality although he was dead several years ago. It shows the effect of how art can conquer power. He intended to ridicule his leader by art. A passion is a strong emotion, a strong emotion could be hatred, this is the only example of a strong emotion the sculptor has towards the king. Another clue to the sculptor’s hatred towards the king was “Tell that it’s sculptor well those passions read”. Along with the negative connotations, it’s fair to say that the sculptor disliked the king because this is an unflattering depiction of him. Throughout the text, there are negative connotations about the king. In line 5 the quote “wrinkled lip and sneer” may imply that the king was arrogant. Time has passed and part of the structure is still standing, not completely ruined. This phrase shows that even without the body the legs alone are huge enough. The statue says a lot about Rameses II the king, his attitude, and how he ruled.įirstly, the phrase “vast and trunkless” suggests the statue was large but “trunkless” meaning that it’s without a body. It is said to have been destroyed in an earthquake in the third century BCE.Power is presented in Ozymandias by a king’s statue. Colossal The word colossal (“vast in size, amount, extent, or scope gigantic, huge” - OED) comes from the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, a huge bronze statue of the sun god near the harbor in Rhodes. In Judaism king of kings was sometimes used to refer to God in Christianity, Jesus is several times identified as “king of kings and lord of lords.” Look on my works The copy-text for this edition, the first magazine publication of Shelley's poem, has confusing punctuation: an open quotation in line 2, then another open quotation before “My name,” with a single closing quotation mark after “King of Kings.” Most editors either put the next line - “Look on my works ye Mighty, and despair!” - inside the quotations, or remove quotation marks from this section of the poem altogether. ![]() ![]() ![]() King of Kings King of kings was a title used by many rulers in the ancient Middle East. If anyone would know how great I am and where I lie, let him surpass one of my works.” When Shelley was writing the poem, the British Museum had just acquired part of a statue of Rameses. The actual Rameses apparently had a statue in Egypt with a similar inscription: “King of Kings am I, Osymandias. Ozymandias The Greek name for Rameses II of Egypt. Notes antique Pronounced with the accent on the first syllable.
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