Read the poem and then in a small group, or on your own, think about how the contextual facts, interesting as they may be in their own right, actually impact on your understanding of the poem.
I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert ... Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed: And on the pedestal these words appear: ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Here are some contextual points about Shelley and his poem, Ozymandias:
Write the introductory paragraph to your response to the question:
Show how Shelley presents ideas about power in his poem Ozymandias.
What, if any, effect may Shelley’s background have had on the writing of this sonnet?
Is there any evidence of Shelley’s political views in the poem?
The sonnet was written to order, in a way, and is about a specific event and person. Do you think it has anything to say about recent or current political regimes?
What sort of impressions do you get of the “antique land” of which the “traveller” speaks?
Here is a list of some of the ideas and themes that may be found in Ozymandias.
Either on your own, or in a small group, put these ideas or themes in rank order. Be prepared to defend your decisions!