Some of you may already be familiar with Shelley’s poem ‘Ozymandias’ from the cult TV series ‘Breaking Bad’. In fact, the poem itself has become so famous that we frequently use it as a cultural reference to someone powerful who might meet a sticky end. You can read it here.
The boastful voice of Ozymandias, quoted by Shelley, who paraphrases an ancient historian (Diadorus of Sicily), comes across powerfully in this poem:
‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty and despair!’
The King of Kings probably meant to communicate that other ‘Mighty’ people should envy his works and despair that they will not achieve his greatness. However, Shelley twists the meaning to recognise the temporary nature of mortal power. Nothing remains of the king’s work – so if we look at his works now, we may well despair at the destruction of such achievements and the realisation that all will eventually turn to dust.
Not exactly life affirming then! But we should remember that Shelley was a Romantic poet who was thrown out of Oxford for being an atheist – much to his dad’s disapproval! The Romantics saw themselves as kind of poetic prophets who interpreted the world differently. Here, Shelley stresses the vast power of nature over human endeavour as the ‘boundless and bare’ sands ‘stretch’ far into the distance and continue to bury the ‘half sunk’ face of civilisation.
For more on this poem watch our video aimed at GCSE Literature students here or download our study pack from the shop.