Thursday, October 2, 2008

Ozzy


This poem by Percy Shelly seems to comment on the fleeting nature of even the pinnacle of human achievements; their oh so temporal existence. The name Ozymandias is a westernization of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II. He was responsible for the building of some the most massive monuments in human history. This poem seems to comment on the arrogance of trying to overcome the greatest force in existence: the test of time. The great "King of Kings" believed his achievements could be remembered forever in stone. However, even stone succumbed to the ravages of time; stone feet standing in ruins in the present. The greatest irony is created when the epitaph on his crumbled statue is read. The mighty works of Ozymandias are themselves in despair, rather than those they are meant to inspire that awe in.

4 comments:

Poppins_829 said...

Oh wow! I'm glad I read your post on this poem because I had no idea what it was about? You're not in my group but I think I might take a look at your blog more often. Thanks, your post really helped me understand it better :D

BJY said...

I definitely agree that the lines on the stone make this poem extremely ironic. I didn't know that Ozymandius was associated with Ramssess. That was a very interesting fact.

Woody said...

Wow you made many points that I was definitly not aware of. First of all the meaning of Ozymandias and reason behind it. I like how you explained this poem because it definitly gave me a better understanding of it and a different outlook.

the Unknower said...

no kidding this section saved my ass on my humanities final today, i referenced you to my teacher as a credible source!