The first thing that caught my eye when reading Ozymandias
is that although it is a sonnet it does not follow the typical rhyme scheme
expected. After getting past the surprising
rhyme scheme I began to fully take in the poem. The aspect of the piece that I
was interested in the most was the description of the ruined statue and what it
maybe means about the deceased ruler.
"Two vast
and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desart… 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”(4-8)
Stand in the desart… 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”(4-8)
When reading the description I first thought of it as not
just describing the erosive process of time on the rock, but also the briefness
of political leaders and regimes. Despite the assertion that he is the, “King
of Kings” (10)–yeah right, his statue is in ruins and forgotten, just like his
rule. Only certain pieces remain.
Although, then again the artist is admired “tell that its
sculptor well those passions read/which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless
things,” (6-7) so, the King is immortalized by the artist and praised, but it
turns out that Ozymandias’ statue is not expressed in a pleasing way.
“wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,” that’s exactly
how I would want to be described—not really.
So, he’s memorialized in a hunk of rock with an unpleasant facial
expression. Maybe this representation is telling us something. “Look on my
Works, ye mighty, and despair,” (11). That’s obviously not happening. His work is overlooked just like his
memorial.
Perhaps to me it is his egotism and passion that is being
shown as immortal not his actual work as a ruler because the rest of his body
is battered and destroyed. Just a thought.
I agree that "Ozymandias" comments on the fleeting nature of power. All that is left of the leader is a stone effigy that is gradually falling to pieces. Viewers are left with an angry looking visage staring back, frozen to convey the command held in life, but the statue will eventually crumble completely. What I found particularly interesting were lines 6-8. They read, "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." I read this as Shelley's way of saying that only thing lasting about this statue is the artist's rendering of Ozymandias. He says that the artist's "passions" are what leaves a lasting mark, not necessarily the remembrance of the man's reign. I found that it was an interesting comment on art outlasting power.
ReplyDeleteI think it's funny to think that poor Ozymandias is only going to be remembered for his statue's rendition. Let me retract calling the ruler "poor"…as if we should have any sympathy for him; I was totally kidding. He was a cruel, vicious ruler: wasn't he a little full of himself in being so proud of what he created? (`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: / Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'). He was rendered correctly: the wrinkled lip, the cold sneer of command. He should most definitely be remembered for THAT (his cruel attributions) rather than, I'm led to believe, the incredible palace he created. I can only imagine who he tortured under his rule to build such a beautiful kingdom for himself. I think his state should bury itself COMPLETELY in the ground so that no traveler has to run into it (or trip over it- haha) again. The man's reign will not be forgotten for, I assume, how cruel and self-promoting it was, and perhaps everything beautiful and extravagant he ever created in the land will be. Payback.
DeleteOh great and powerful Oz...ymandias.
ReplyDeleteI think it's definitely ironic that Ozymandias's statue is telling his people--and the people of future generations--to look upon his work, when there is nothing left to look upon. Shelley is definitely making a statement about people with power; how that time will wither away kings and kingdoms and their power will be lost, and behold what remains! A statue! A piece of art! The artist is portrayed in this poem as the one who can really see the truth and as the one who is allowed and called on to perceive and portray the king: to sculpt. And in this sculpture, the artist is mocking this tyrannical king. The artist is able to speak the truth, as well! So who is it that Shelley is saying has the real power? ARTISTS! WOO!
To go into this further, the poem is a story with in a story. The narrator met a traveler who told this story of an artist leaving his mark so people in the past can understand the truth of the king--can understand the king's story. So the poet is an artist, the story telling traveler is an artist, and so is the sculptor. Eventually kingly power becomes a whisper passed down the line, and the artist are the ones that have the real power to convey and to shape and to express!