Themes
DEATH AND MORTALITY - desert symbolises the passing of time - erases the passing of time - erases the traces of Ozymandias - death comes to us all nature is the more powerfull force and will eventually outlive everybody
POWER - Ozymandias's power was absolute - the face of the statue and the words on the pedestal reveal his character - no sympathy for him
PRIDE - the vast size of the statue (ruler's pride) - pride demonstrated by the ruin of the statue - name = greek 'ozium' (air) and 'mandate' (rule) - meaning 'ruler of nothing'
Form Language And Structure
sonnet written in iambic pentameter - sonnets are usually love poems, but here political ideas are explored - metre changes in lines 11 and 13 (his boast)
Oxymoron in line 13 emphasises the destruction of the stature
- 'king of kings' - pride contrasts with the meaning of his name
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