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Nothing at all Lasts Forever: A New Crucial Analysis of “Ozymandias. ” Throughout the great man, there’s always been a select few who wish for immortality. They build awe-inspiring kingdoms, erect massive statues, bushed a vain effort to leave their particular mark around the world.

Not one of them has become successful, thus far, and Ramesses II is no exception. In the poem “Ozymandias, ” by simply Percy Bysshe Shelley, a traveler stocks and shares his experience at the web page of a sculpture depicting Ramesses II. The statue features fallen into disrepair at the hands of the harsh environment, as well as the eroding process of Period.

At first reading, the text presents itself as a poem about the withering aside of a once great sculpture. However , with the use of symbolism, placing, diction, and irony, the poem shows that while guys may target immortality, the actual “king of kings” (line 11) is usually Time. Hip and legs on the body are necessary intended for motion and balance, but in reality act as a significant symbol of Ramesses II’s kingdom. Without these twin apparatuses, the human body is definitely incapable of continue. In this respect, the 2 “vast and trunkless thighs of stone” (line 2) found bodiless in the composition symbolize the overthrow of Ozymandias’s empire by Period.

Without legs on which to stand, his kingdom offers lost their momentum and has therefore been devoured by the sand. In addition , the best half of the statue—the head and part of the torso—is laying inside the sand “half sunk” (line 4). Just like the legs, the placement of the brain and upper body is emblematic. Ozymandias can be gazing with the sky, finding out about what continues to be of his decimated kingdom, a “wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command” (line 5) on his face. To admire someone else is to acknowledge their position of authority more than others.

Throughout the positioning of the statue, Ramesses II is definitely acknowledging that Time has conquered him. His empire continues to be reduced to dust, claimed by the sands of Time. The poem describes the setting as “boundless and bare/The lone and level sands stretch considerably away” (line 13-14), which will amplifies Time’s dominance as a theme. What exactly is desert? To the unknowing visitor, it is nothing more than a large sandbox. With the exception of crushed stone and dirt, it’s a clear, dead land. However , when compared with other parcours, such as a forest or ountain range, it is surprisingly simple. In “Ozymandias, ” the harsh environment and unforgiving ground is a symbol of challenging honesty. Individuals are terribly tolerated in deserts, and really should a man decide to build his empire in one, he will become faced with brutal honesty and you will be tested. Picking out location is equally as crucial to the theme since the location itself. Since the statue is in it is original environment, overtaken by harsh winds and hidden in the sand, and not preserved behind a glass circumstance, it states against Ozymandias’s immortality.

Rather than be displayed for others to learn and respect his accomplishments, the remains of his kingdom have been put aside, deemed ineffective and undesirable by the universe. Had the traveler looked at the remains to be of the sculpture in a art gallery, Time’s goal in the composition would have considered on a totally new meaning. Given the state of his later area, Ozymandias’s terms “Look at my works, en Mighty, and despair” (line 11) are ironic, as well as the imagery of his ex – kingdom proves that Time provides conquered him. When the tourist recounts his visit to the “antique land” (line 1), he identifies a surroundings that is protected in fine sand.

A statue is a symbol of long life and permanence. Its overall look, if well-maintained, does not slow or degrade, forever acquiring the beauty and magnificence in the subject which is why it was made. Such is the case with Michelangelo’s “David”, which has only continued to thrive since it is maintained. Yet , there are not any servants leftover to usually Ramesses II’s statue, no-one to remember his legacy. The statue of Ozymandias features broken in half, and the brain lays in the grass close by. “Nothing beside remains” (line 12) the traveller explains, noting “… the decay/Of that colossal wreck” (lines 12 – 13).

Can the Ruler of kings’ legacy continue without evidence that it ever truly existed? No, that cannot, which means the words scripted on the pedestal have taken by using an entirely distinct meaning. It is not necessarily Ozymandias the fact that Mighty should fear, nevertheless the true Full of kings—Time. Time’s disposition is in actuality the thing that can be “boundless” (line 13), certainly not the kingdom of Ozymandias, which had a time frame all along. The diction choices inside the sonnet are extremely specific, specifically those describing the statue, and they in order to reflect Ramesses II’s downfall. The raveler describes the statue as being “on the sand/Half sunk” (line 3-4), which is typically interpreted to mean that the statue is usually buried halfway in the crushed stone. Considering the ironic words etched on Ozymandias’s statue, the word “sunk”—the earlier participle of the word “sink”—takes on a several meaning. Precisely what is sand, and more importantly, how can it connect with the concept of the the poem? When utilized in conjunction, sand and Time make up an hourglass—the general symbol of your energy. The yellow sand surrounding the statue is usually not merely a mass accumulation of sedimentary rock, nevertheless a symbol pertaining to the Sands of Time, a term directed at the inside of your hourglass.

The statue, as well as the kingdom has been devoured by Time. Another few centuries, and the last remnants of Ramesses II’s empire will certainly fall throughout the hourglass entirely. Furthermore, line four carries on with “a shattered visage lies” (line 4). Once something is shattered, it is extremely hard to reassemble them. A shattered arm or leg takes several weeks to recover properly, and it is never quite the same from then on. The “shattered visage” (line 4) spoken of inside the poem isn’t only Ramesses II’s statue, it really is his musical legacy that has been cracked. The disposition that he previously created, the one that he was so sure might endure, offers collapsed.

The hubris of kings is definitely pride and the desire for growing old. Unfortunately, while Shelley’s composition demonstrates, Period is not really something that could be manipulated. With his death, Ramesses II’s disposition came to a standstill, but Period continued to advance and finally overthrew the pharaoh. Time is the authentic King of kings. Through the use of symbolism, placing, diction, and irony, Shelley proves that humans are finite creatures and nothing will last forever. Functions Cited Shelley, Percy Bysshe. “Ozymandias. ” Literature: Writing and reading with Critical Strategies. Impotence. Steven Lynn. Pearson-Longman. Nyc. 2004. 618 , 619. Print.