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MEMORANDUM: “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Aim:To explore key features of the poem’s content and poetic conventions(See book: p. 114)
Type:Pair or group discussion and individual written work Grade level: 11,12
Time: Complete over several lessons and as homework File section: Poetry
Instruction: In pairs or groups, read the poem carefully, aloud as well as silently. Then complete the tasks below.
Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822)
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert… Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped 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.
Reading the poem:
1Down the left-hand side, number each line for easy referencing.
Learners’ own work.
2Underline words you do not understand and find out what they mean.
Learners’ own work.
3Write down definitions or explanations of the following words:
Ozymandias: the ancient Greek name for the Egyptian pharaoh,Ramses II
antique: ancient, very old, or historical
trunkless: missing its trunk or upper body
visage: face or features
sculptor: an artist who creates sculptures out of clay, metal or stone
pedestal: the platform or podium upon which a statue or sculpture stands
colossal: massive or gigantic
decay: waste away, crumble or disintegrate
4Highlight any lines or phrases that seem obscure or confusing.
Learners’ own work.
Finding out what the poem is about:
1Speculate and note down your immediate impressions; you can modify these later. If possible, identify a particular scene, encounter, or story.
The poem seems to be about an encounter between the speaker in the poem, and a traveller who tells him about his experiences in an “antique land”; this could be Egypt?
2Write down three questions about the poem, beginning with the words “Who…”, “Where…”, “What…”, and/or “How…”. After you have completed the exercise below, check whether you have answered your own questions.
Learners write their own questions. These are suggestions:
- Who is Ozymandias?
- Where is the poem set?
- What do the words spoken by Ozymandias mean?
3A poem’s title often suggests what the poem is about. What or who is Ozymandias? Does knowing that Ozymandias was the Greek name for the Egyptian pharaoh, Ramses II, help you understand the poem? Find information about Ramses II: When did he rule Egypt? What was interesting about him? What evidence remains today of his life andtimes?
Ramses II (1279BC-1213BC) is regarded as one of the most powerful Pharaohs of Egypt. During his reign he built many cities, temples and monuments. On his death numerous colossal statues were built in his honour. Only the feet of the giant statue of Ramses II at Tanis are above ground – the rest is buried under fields. You can find out more about Ramses II from books about ancient Egypt, encyclopaedias or on the Internet.
Identify the form:
1Count the number of lines and write down the rhyme scheme (if there is one).
There are fourteen lines. The rhyme scheme is ABABACDCEDEFEF.
2Is this a sonnet? How do you know? (Comment on the number of lines, the rhyme scheme and the structure; is there an octave and a sestet?).
“Ozymandias” is a sonnet, since there are fourteen lines in this poem,
it consists of an octave and a sestet, and it is written in iambic pentameter.
Identify, describe and explain key characteristics:
Establish the setting
1.1Circle all the words in the poem that tell you about the setting. How do they help you identify the setting? Describe the setting in your own words.
Words that tell us about the setting include “antique land”; “desert”; “boundless and bare”; “lone and level sands”. These words help us identify the setting as ancient Egypt.
Learners describe the setting in their own words, for example:The words “antique land” suggest an ancient place or kingdom, while “desert” and “sands” suggest a dry wasteland.
1.2The poem refers to the past as well as the present. How do we know this? Refer to the lines and words that help you.
The words “antique land” (line 1) suggest a place that is ancient. Remnants of what once must have been glorious monuments and statues “yet survive” (line7), and it is still possible to read the inscription on the pedestal (line 9). However, in the present “nothing beside remains” (line 12). Words such as “decay” and “wreck” also suggest the passage of time, which leaves little behind but the “lone and level sands” (line 14).
Identify the speaker
2.1The first line identifies a speaker (“I”) in the poem, who may or may not be the poet. But the poem contains two other speakers or voices. Who are these second speakers?
The second speaker is the traveller who describes his “antique land”. There is a third speaker or voice in the poem – that of Ozymandias, whose monument declares that he is “king of kings” (line 10).
2.2Describe the tone of each of the other speakers and say what this tells you about their attitudes?
The second speaker describes his homeland with a sense of historical distance and his tone is tinged with irony: his description of the shattered wreckage of the once-great king gives us a powerful sense of the passing of time. On the other hand the third speaker – Ozymandias – speaks with arrogance, pride, and a powerful sense of his own authority and importance: he calls himself “king of kings” and seems sure that his monuments and statues are an everlasting, indestructable tribute to his greatness, which will make future generations “despair” (line11).
2.3What scene, story or encounter does the traveller describe? (Here you may want to modify your initial ideas.)
The traveller describes his encounter with the wreckage of an ancient statue dedicated to Ozymandias, the once-great king of his “antique land”. He describes the “visage” or face of the statue in careful detail, as well as the words written on the pedestal, to juxtapose the once-glorious past with the ruined and shattered remnants that have survived the passing of time.
Do close reading
3.1The traveller describes a fallen monument or statue. What has happened to the statue?
With the passing of centuries, the statue has been damaged and ruined.
Two legs stand “trunkless”, while the face (“visage”) is half buried in the sand. Although the inscription on the pedestal declared that the statue is that of Ozymandias, “king of kings” (line 10), the statue is now a ruin, a “colossal wreck”(line 13), and “nothing beside remains”(line 12).
3.2Write down all the words and images the traveller uses to describe the statue. Explain why these words are important.
The traveller uses words such as “vast”; “shattered visage”;“lifeless things”; “decay”; “colossal wreck”;“sneer of cold command”; “king of kings”. The diction and imagery thus creates a contrast between the glorious past in which Ozymandias was an all-powerful ruler, and the wreckage that remains. The words are important because they evoke the transformative passage of time.
3.3Look carefully at lines 10 and 11:
3.3.1Why are these words in quotation marks?
The quotation marks show that the traveller is quoting the words on the pedestal.
3.3.2Underline all the words that tell us about Ozymandias.
Learners should underline the following words: “frown”; “wrinkled lip”; “sneer of cold command”; “hand that mocked”; “heart that fed”; “king of kings”; “my works”; “despair”.
3.3.3What personal qualities or characteristics did the sculptor capture?
The sculptor has been at pains to capture Ozymandias’s “frown” and “wrinkled lip”,which emphasise the king’s commanding presence, great age, hubris [excessive pride and arrogance] and self-regard.
3.3.4What is meant by “king of kings”?
The words suggest that Ozymandias is so great a ruler that even amongst the kings of Egypt he is the most important.
3.3.5What do lines 10 and 11 tell us about the kind of person Ozymandias once was?
These words from the pedestal appear to be a quote from Ozymandias himself, and reveal his belief that his achievements are so awe-inspiring that they make even the “Mighty … despair”.
3.4What message do the words on the pedestal aim to convey? What is ironic about these words?
The words assert the boundless power of the king. To understand the ironic meaningof these words, one has to think about how the statue of Ozymandias has been transformed over time:although the words confidently assert the glory and authority of the “king of kings”, his “works” have all decayed and “nothing beside remains” (line 12).
3.5Think about the remnants and wreckage, which are all that remain of the once all-powerful king. What do you think the poem tells us about power? What message do you think is conveyed?
The king’s proud boast (lines 10 and 11) has been ironically disproved. Ozymandias’s works have crumbled and disappeared and his civilization is long gone. Past glory has been turned to dust and decay by the impersonal and destructive power of history.The ruined statue described by the traveller is a monument to Ozymandias’s personal hubris, but may also be seen as a powerful statement about the insignificance of human beings in the face of the passage of time. Ozymandias is a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of political power. The statue is thus a metaphor for the pride and hubris of all of humanity.
Do comparative reading
4Compare this poem to Mongane Wally Serote’s “For Don M – Banned”. What do the two poems have in common?
Both poems are concerned with the transformative impact of time and history on political power.
Think creatively
5.1Write a biographical note about the poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Percy Byshhe Shelley (1792-1822) is one of the most influential English poets of theRomantic era.A passionate political reformer, many of his poems – including “Ozymandias”– contain political ideas and themes. Although he did not achieve wide political renown in his lifetime, Shelley’s reputation as a visionary lyrical poet developed steadily after his early death at sea off the coast of Italy.
5.2Find or draw pictures to illustrate the poem.
Learners’ responses will differ. For this creative task allow as much freedom as possible. It is not necessary to allocate a mark, but if a teacher feels the need to, make sure you create a brief rubric to guide learners. Alternatively, display illustrations on classroom walls or in a poetry portfolio or anthology.
5.3Look for two other poems about kingship or power that are similar to “Ozymandias”.
- Shelley’s “England in 1819” is another example of the poet’s political poetry.
- For something completely unexpected, see “next to of course god
america i” by ee cummings - a wonderfully irreverent poem about American politics and power. - Thomas Pringle, an 1820 settler in South Africa, wrote a poem called “Makanna’s Gathering” about a prophetic Xhosa chief who defied the Britsh colonial authorities.
- Find your own examples to add to this list!
5.4Write your own poem about power or authority.
Learners’ answers will differ. Allow for as much creative freedom as possible. Look at Chapter 5 of the book for suggestions for how to display the poems. Learners’ poems could be displayed on classroom walls, read or performed.
© Oxford University Press Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2013. From Oxford Practical Teaching English Literature: How to teach Grades 8–12. You may modify, print and photocopy this document solely for use in your classes.