Ozymandias of Egypt – Class 12 Alternative English Chapter 6

Ozymandias of Egypt

Note for Students: Understanding “Ozymandias”

Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ozymandias” is one of the most famous sonnets in the English language. In just 14 lines, it tells a powerful story about the inevitable fall of even the mightiest rulers and empires. The poem describes the ruins of a colossal statue of a great king, Ozymandias (the Greek name for the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II), lying broken and forgotten in the desert.

As you read, pay close attention to the powerful irony. The king’s inscription on the pedestal boasts, “Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!” He intended for other rulers to despair at his greatness, but now, all that remains is a “colossal Wreck” surrounded by endless sand. The only thing that has survived is the art itself—the sculptor’s skill in capturing the king’s arrogant “sneer of cold command.”

The poem is a timeless meditation on the themes of pride, power, and time. It reminds us that human power is temporary and fleeting (transient), while nature and art can endure far longer.

Comprehension

This section will help you test your basic understanding of the poem’s content and context.

A. Answer in one or two words.

1. Which king is referred to in the poem ‘Ozymandias of Egypt’?
   • Answer: Ozymandias (Ramesses II).
2. What type of a poem is ‘Ozymandias of Egypt’?
   • Answer: A sonnet.
3. Who is the speaker in the poem?
   • Answer: The poet (“I”).
4. Who tells the poet about the shattered statue?
   • Answer: A traveller.
5. Name the collection of poetry in which ‘Ozymandias of Egypt’ got first published.
   • Answer: Rosalind and Helen.

Short Answer Questions

This section requires you to think more deeply about the poem’s details and themes.

B. Answer in a few words.

1. What is the rhyme scheme of ‘Ozymandias of Egypt’?
   • Answer: The rhyme scheme is ABABACDCEDEFEF.
2. What is ironic about the inscription on the pedestal of Ozymandias’s statue?
   • Answer: The inscription commands onlookers to “despair” at the king’s mighty works, but ironically, nothing remains of those works except a ruined statue, making the boastful words hollow and meaningless.
3. What is the only thing remaining in the vast desert?
   • Answer: The remains of the shattered statue and the vast, empty sands are all that remain.
4. Who was Ozymandias?
   • Answer: Ozymandias was the Greek name for Ramesses II, a powerful and boastful pharaoh of ancient Egypt.
5. What quality of Ozymandias does the narrator represent?
   • Answer: The narrator represents Ozymandias’s arrogance, pride, and tyrannical nature through the description of his “frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command.”

Brief and Detailed Answers

These questions require a more detailed analysis of the poem’s language, themes, and literary devices.

C. Answer briefly in your own words.

1. Write a brief note on the theme of ‘transience of power’ as discussed in the poem.
   • Answer: The theme of the ‘transience of power’ is central to “Ozymandias.” The poem shows that even the most powerful rulers and their empires, like that of the “King of Kings,” are ultimately temporary. Ozymandias’s “colossal” statue, once a symbol of his immense power, now lies as a “Wreck” in the desert, proving that human authority, pride, and glory inevitably decay and are forgotten over time.
2. ‘The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed’. Whose hand and heart has the poet referred to in this line?
   • Answer: The “hand” refers to the sculptor who skillfully carved the statue, “mocking” or imitating the king’s passions. The “heart” refers to Ozymandias himself, whose arrogant and cruel heart “fed” or fueled those very passions that the sculptor captured.
3. How does the poet describe the expression on Ozymandias’s face?
   • Answer: The poet describes the expression on the statue’s shattered face (“visage”) as one of cruel authority. It has a “frown,” a “wrinkled lip,” and a “sneer of cold command,” which together reveal the arrogant and tyrannical nature of the ruler.

D. Answer in detail.

1. Bring out the central idea contained in the poem ‘Ozymandias of Egypt’ by P.B. Shelley.
   • Answer: The central idea of “Ozymandias” is the ultimate powerlessness of man and the temporary nature of human power when faced with the relentless passage of time. Shelley uses the image of the ruined statue of a once-mighty king to deliver a powerful message. Ozymandias, who called himself “King of Kings,” believed his power and works were eternal, commanding others to “despair” at his greatness. However, all that is left of his legacy is a “colossal Wreck” in an empty desert. This creates a profound irony: the very monument meant to immortalize his power now serves as a testament to its decay. The poem contrasts the fleeting nature of political power with two more enduring forces: art (the sculptor’s work, which perfectly captured the king’s character and has outlasted his empire) and nature (the “lone and level sands” that have reclaimed everything). Thus, the poem is a timeless warning against human pride (hubris) and a meditation on the fact that all glory is ephemeral.
2. Identify the figures of speech in the poem.
   • Answer: “Ozymandias” is rich with figures of speech that enhance its meaning and impact:
     • Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds creates a musical effect. Examples include:
       • “cold command”
       • “lone and level”
       • “stamp’d on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; And on the pedestal, these words appear: My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
     • Synecdoche: A part is used to represent the whole.
       • “The hand that mocked them” refers to the sculptor himself.
       • “the heart that fed” refers to King Ozymandias.
     • Irony: The contrast between what is said and what is true is the poem’s most powerful device. The entire poem is built on the irony of the boastful inscription, “Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!” when nothing of his works remains.
     • Personification: Human qualities are given to an inanimate object. The passions of Ozymandias are said to “survive, stamped on these lifeless things,” giving the stone a sense of life.
     • Enjambment: The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line. For example, the lines “whose frown, / And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, / Tell that its sculptor well those passions read” flow into one another.