Ozymandi-what? A Reading, Summary, and Analysis of Shelley’s “Ozymandias“

Ozymandias is a narrative sonnet about a traveler who found a broken statue of Ozymandias in the dessert. While initially quite confusing, the the poem shows Percy Shelley at his best: bringing low the ambitious dictators of the world. 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.” - 1818 Check out more of Shelley’s poetry and prose at the link below! Note: if you purchase the book through the above link, the channel will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support! Bookmarks, Editing help, and other great things: Oxford Comma Facebook Page: