Ozymandias and My Last Duchess

Ozymandias and My Last Duchess

Both Shelley in 'Ozymandias' and Browning in 'My Last Duchess' explore the concept of ultimately pointless, temporary power, which fuels arrogance and narcissism in those who are a part of the monarchy or have a royal status.

Ozymandias is presumably about King George III, who Shelley was adverse to. She is comaparing him to Rameses II, a pharoah of Egypt, who stirred conflict and used it to his advantage to extend the borders of Egypt. King George III also fuelled conflict within Britain and Shelley was not in favour of this. My Last Duchess is written about the Duke of Ferrara, in Italy, who was also a royal figure that perhaps misused his power. Through his poem, Browning reveals that the Duke's psychopathic mind, which has been corrupted by gaining power, causes him to murder his own wife.

Shelley has written Ozymandias in a distinct form of sonnet, which neither revolves around the theme of love, nor matches the criteria of a Shakespearean sonnet. This subversive approach to form therefore suggests that the poet has chosen to adapt the sonnet to reflect the love that Ozymandias (and indirectly King George III) had for themselves, rather than another person. Moreover, the adaptation of the sonnet suggests that the form is likely to change over time; it is foolish to believe that the people in power will also remain the same.

On the other hand, My Last…