Overview
This lecture analyzes Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "Ozymandias," focusing on its historical context, structure, key themes, poetic techniques, and message about the impermanence of human power.
Historical Context & Inspiration
- "Ozymandias" was published on January 11, 1818, inspired by a competition with Horace Smith.
- The poem is based on a story recorded by Greek historian Diodorus Siculus about an ancient Egyptian statue with an inscription.
- News of the British Museum acquiring a statue of Pharaoh Ramses II in 1817 influenced the poem's subject.
- Ozymandias is the Greek name for Ramses II, Egypt's most powerful pharaoh known for monument building.
Themes & Moral Lesson
- The poem explores hubris, meaning excessive pride and arrogance leading to downfall.
- Shelley warns that tyranny and human pride are ultimately powerless against the passage of time.
- Statues and monuments, once symbols of greatness, become forgotten ruins.
Poem Structure & Form
- The poem is a Petrarchan sonnet: 14 lines, divided into an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines).
- Primarily written in iambic pentameter but includes trochaic, pyrrhic, and anapestic feet for rhythmic variety.
- The rhyme scheme is ABABACDCEFEF, employing slant rhyme for a conversational effect.
Literary Techniques & Analysis
- Begins with an unnamed traveler recounting a tale from an "antique land" (ancient Egypt).
- Vivid imagery: "two vast and trunkless legs of stone" and a "shattered visage."
- The use of enjambment and single-sentence description creates momentum and excitement.
- Alliteration and sibilance emphasize the ruler’s harshness and the lifeless nature of the statue.
- Synecdoche: "the hand that mocked them and the heart that fed" uses body parts to represent creator and subject.
- Irony: The inscription's boast, "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair," is undercut by the ruined state of the statue.
- The final lines highlight the desolate setting, reinforcing the message of impermanence.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Hubris — excessive pride or arrogance that leads to downfall.
- Petrarchan sonnet — 14-line poem divided into an octave and sestet with a set rhyme scheme.
- Iambic pentameter — poetic meter with five pairs of unstressed/stressed syllables per line.
- Enjambment — continuation of a sentence without pause beyond the end of a line.
- Synecdoche — figure of speech where a part represents the whole.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review "Ozymandias" and identify examples of poetic techniques discussed.
- Prepare any questions about the poem or lecture for the next class.