Ozymandias

"Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
"Ozymandias"
Percy Bysshe Shelley


Ozymandias seems like the kind of character that tried to overtake an entire society/government and change it according to how he wanted it to be organized. He calls himself "king of kings" which may imply he felt like he was superior and that he possessed power over others. Throughout the poem, I noticed that Ozymandias was not particularly well-liked, mainly from the negative diction. I saw words like "frown," "lifeless," "mocked," and "cold." I think Ozymandias attempted to ignite change in society, but ending up failing. The poem's very ironic because the pedestal of the sculpture of his head it says "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" when around that stone there was basically nothing but miles of sand a desert. The speaker outright states, "Nothing besides remains," and that it is "boundless and bare." Ozymandias's legacy did not live; only his ironic words etched in stone remained in the middle of the desert. There is no one for miles to appreciate his 'great works.'