Ozymandias:
AO3 - Context of Ozymandias is an ancient Greek name for Ramesses II, the
Ozymandias pharaoh in the dynasty of Egypt. It is actually a Greek version
of the Egyptian phrase ‘User-maat-Re’ of Ramesses’ Egyptian
name. He was also known as Ramesses the Great; the
quintessence of power, fame and greatness. His successors
and later Egyptians also called him the ‘Great Ancestor’.
What happens in the - In the poem 'Ozymandias' the speaker meets an
poem 'Ozymandias' and unknown traveller who relates his experience of
what are the author's travelling in the 'antique land'; thus immortalising the
intentions? (2) experience of ephemeral sovereignty of the Egyptian
tyrant.
- Shelley's poem undoubtedly reflects the Romantic
fashion that preceded Egypt was the craze for the
picturesque decay of ancient places. Also, Shelley's
world shows how a tyrant's sovereignty has collapsed;
which means that Ozymandias's statue has fallen
apart due to the slow impact of Nature and Time.
What are the top 4 quotes 1. 'sneer of cold command'
for Ozymandias? 2. 'king of kings'
3. 'Look at my works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing
beside remains'
4. 'The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed'
‘Sneer of cold command’ Powerful descriptive diction in order to immortalise the
historical presence of a conceited king. The ‘c’ alliteration also
reinforces his dictatorship and his ‘command’ has
undoubtedly repressed and controlled his subjects to such an
extent that they did not have the temerity to cause a coup
d’etat.
‘The hand that mocked The noun ‘hand’ is seen as a synecdoche of the unknown
them and the heart that sculptor who has captured the egotistic passions of
fed’ Ramesses II so as to subtly mock his empirical rule by
condemning him. Similarly, Shelley’s purpose could be to
ridicule the self-centred nature of Ozymandias and he also
uses the statue as a poetic vehicle to explore ideas about the
longevity of both a work of art and the reign of a despot. The
metaphorical diction ‘heart that fed’ indicates to what extent
the sculptor has successfully captivated the tyrannical
emotions of Ozymandias as he has sculpted the statue with
care and devotion.
‘My name is Ozymandias, The person pronoun ‘my’ creates a strong sense of identity;
King of kings’ presenting Ozymandias as the centre of conscience in the
poem. Shelley also uses a powerful Biblical connotation in
‘King of Kings’ so as to allude to the political grandeur and
dictatorship of Ramesses II (who also feels unconquerable).
‘Look on my works’ The imperative verb ‘look’ further reinforces his commanding
, nature. Shelley also shows the king’s admiration and conceit
towards his political achievement in ‘works’ by thus creating
an echo of political hubris.
‘ye Mighty’ Capitalisation of ‘Mighty which is synonymous to King
Ramesses the Great, therefore deifying his representation.
The archaic word ‘ye’ contributes to Shelley’s old fashioned
style of writing.
‘despair’ The abstract noun ‘despair’ reminds the reader that however
powerful the king is, he has undoubtedly caused ‘despair’ and
distress amongst his subjects. The word ‘despair’ also
juxtaposes with ‘Mighty’ in order to create an ongoing
conflicting representation of a powerful king whose ambition,
pride and absolute power do not last; instead, Ozymandias’
political regime has crumbled; leaving behind a faint trace of
his existence.
‘Nothing beside remains’ Use of negative diction in order to indicate how the king’s
reign was a fleeting moment in history and his power has
subsided as time elapsed. This is so because people’s
memory of Ozymandias as a king began to subside after his
death.
AO2 - Overall Form and The poem is a Petrachan sonnet as it’s structured into an
Structure of the classical octave and sestet. Yet the poem does not contain the usual
sonnet ‘Ozymandias’ regular rhyming pattern that most sonnets do, in order to
reflect the autonomous characterisation of Ozymandias - a
man whose raison d’etre is to dictate others.
AO2 - Structure of - The 9th line in the poem marks, a sharp turn or a Volta
‘Ozymandias’ (5) in the narrative structure of the poem as it echoes the
tyrannical voice of Ozymandias.
- Ozymandias does not just follow the simple structure
of an iambic pentameter, which is in: ‘half-sunk, a
shatt-er’d vis-age lies, whose frown…’
But it also allows a non-conformist pattern in the meter,
whereby iambs are mixed with a trochee ‘No-thing be-side re-
mains. Round the de-cay..’
● The above line begins with a stressed syllable
followed by an unstressed syllable (which is called a
trochee, also considered as the reverse of an iamb).
After the first trochee, the words are followed by two
iambs and a trochee.
● The fact that Shelley does not conform to any meter in
the poem could reflect the free spirit of Ozymandias; a
typical rebel who refused to abide by political rules and
created a state deprived of democracy.
● The rhyming pattern is abab acdc edefef - even
though the poem begins with an alternating rhyme, it
changes to an irregular rhyming scheme so as to
reflect the lack of stability in Ozymandias' monarchy.
What are the 3 types of 1. Initial caseura (placed at the beginning of the line
,caesurae used by Shelley ‘Who said:’)
in the poem + what effect 2. Medial caesura (placed in the middle of the line)
does the use of caesurae 3. Terminal caesura (placed at the end of a line)
create Shelley’s of caesurae creates dramatic pauses, therefore
enabling the reader to ponder over the development of
Ozymandias as a character. In this way, Shelley slowly
develops and reveals the sinister persona of Ozymandias.
What are the possible - Power which does not last
keywords in exam - An intriguing persona
questions about - A powerful persona
Ozymandias? (3)
What are the themes of - Political power of Ozymandias
Ozymandias? (4) - Transient power of Ozymandias/Power which does not
last
- Political conflict due to his despotic rule
- Ozymandias’ control of his subjects
Give three examples of - Tissue
poems to compare to - My Last Duchess
Ozymandias. - Prelude
London:
AO3 - Context of London ● William Blake was an English poet, painter, illustrator
(2) and printmaker but most importantly a visionary whose
prophetic works use idiosyncratic imageries,
distinguishing him as one of the most important mystic
poets who challenges established law and order in
society.
● The Blakean world ruthlessly attacks the terrible
conditions of inequality and oppression in Britain, thus
reflecting the rebellious spirit of the poet. William Blake
was also known as an unconventional poet who was
perceived as a political radical and a big critique of
conventional Christianity demonstrated in his hostility
against all forms of organised religion and his
iconoclastic views on the Church of England.
What ideals was William William Blake was influenced by ideals of French Revolution
Blake influenced by? (1789-1799) which was during the initial period of the
Romantic Era. He astutely reflects the distressing period of
the French Revolution in ‘blood down palace walls’.
What are the top 4 quotes 1. ‘In every voice, in every ban // The mind-forged
for London? manacles I hear.’
2. ‘Runs in blood down palace walls’
3. ‘Blights with plagues the marriage hearse’
4. Marks of weakness, marks of woe’
‘In every voice, in every Use of auditory language in ‘voice’ so as to create a sense of
, ban’ drama as humans have reached the zenith of suffering due to
being ‘cursed’ by society and its established rules.
‘The mind-forged Powerful metaphorical diction so as to represent human
manacles I hear’ minds in shackles; the Londoners’ minds are controlled by
established norms in society, thus taking away their identity,
autonomy and freedom. As a Romantic poet, William Blake
held radical views on society; believed in freedom of
expression rather than reason; and firmly believed that one’s
perception of reality should not be influenced by others who
would ‘forged’ it with ‘manacles’.
‘Runs in blood down This could be related to the French Revolution in 1789 where
palace walls’ the French destitute revolted against the French Monarchy
and French Aristocracy in order to militate for economic
stability in society; as well as the suppression of the feudal
system, in order to benefit all humanity. The noun ‘palace’ is
used in an ironic way as usually ‘palace’ creates an imagery
of beauty but here Blake is depreciating the rich Aristocrats
who are safe in their ‘palace’ while the ordinary people are
suffering. Also the noun ‘walls’ creates a psychological and
emotional barrier between the rich and the poor.
‘Marks of weakness, ● ‘Mark’ creates an imagery of stain and social
marks of woe’ (2) oppression, showing how the poor Londoners are
subjugated to the authority of the rich and wealthy
businessmen.
● The ‘w’ alliteration in the emotive diction ‘weakness’
and ‘woe’ reinforces the prevailing gloom in London.
London, has undoubtedly a devastating effect on the
destitute due to its poignant irreversible misery.
‘Blights with plagues the ‘Blight’ creates an imagery of physical decay and damage.
marriage hearse’ Also ‘plagues’ contribute to a powerful imagery of pestilence
and sexually transmitted diseases spreading on the streets of
London. The poem ends with the oxymoronic phrase
‘marriage hearse’ which deconstructs the joyous feeling of
love and stability which is usually associated to marriage.
Instead, marriage as an institution has collapsed and also
creates a sense of frenzy in the community.
AO2 - Overall Form and The poem is written in 4 consecutive quatrains, reinforcing the
Structure of London ongoing negative emotions associated to: the physical
exploitation of the chimney sweeper; the brutal representation
of the soldier; the harlot infecting others with sexually
transmitted diseases; the mind which is represented by
chains; and the resonation of plaintive voices due to the doom
and gloom in London.
AO2 - Structure of - Blakes uses a regular alternate rhyme so as to
London (4) demonstrate the ongoing battle between corruption
and the need to surpass atrocities inflicted by the
Aristocracy.
- The poem is mimetic of geographical displacement,
framing the characterisation of the narrator as a
