PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY“OZYMANDIAS”

MorganBrittanyChelsea

EARLY LIFE• Born in 1792 to Timothy Shelley, a Parliament

member.• At the age of 10, he was shipped to Syon House

of Academy, where it was “a perfect hell” for him. He was tormented for his small size and fascination with gothic novels and sci-fi.

• He then attended to Eton, and then Oxford, where he got kicked out, after 6 months for his views on Atheism.

Early Life• In college, Percy wrote several poems and

novels. Mostly about his strong disbeliefs in marriage, government, any other part of society. He thought that taking part in such things would not let you see your inner self.

• He imagined that science would change the world, but then he saw that poetry would transform the world in a better/different way.

Family Life

• Though he strongly opposed matrimony, he was wed to Harriet Wollstonecraft (to save her from her controlling father).

• Before Harriet, he was engaged to his cousin, Harriet. The engagement ended when she drowned.

• He had two children, Ianthe and Charles. Ianthe was a premature baby, and passed.

Family Life

• He elopes with a Mary Godman, and her sister Claire, to Italy. They meet up with a good friend Byron. (later marries Claire)

• Harriet lives with Percy and Mary as his “sister.” She finds that she is pregnant with another man’s child, one of Byron’s friends, and drowns herself.

• Now that Harriet is dead, Percy marries Mary.

Family Life• They have 3 children: Clara, William, and

Percy Florence. Both Clara and William pass at young ages. Clara from unknown reasons, and William from malaria.

• Mary’s half-sister, Franny, commits suicide, for she feels unwanted by both the Shelley’s and her own family.

His Death• On July 8th, 1822, while sailing with some

close friends, their boat flipped over, and Shelley drowned.

• He was cremated on August 13th.• Before being cremated, his heart was cut out,

and given to his beloved Mary. For he vowed that only she had his heart.

• In 1824, Mary started transcribing all of her belated husband’s manuscripts.

“OZYMANDIAS”I met a traveler 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 upon 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.

Poem Analysis• Written in 1817 published in 1818

• Shows how fascinated everyone in the 19thcentury was in the Egyptian culture. Which became later known as Egyptology.

• This poem is said to be inspired by the statue of Rameses II in the British museum. In scripted on the statue are the words "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" (which is included in the poem). In translation: “ I am Ozymandias, king of kings; if anyone wishes to know what I am and where I lie, let him surpass me in some of my exploits.”

Poem Analysis• Ozymandias was another name for the Egyptian pharaoh

Ramses II. His reign was the height of Egypt’s imperial powers.

• In the beginning of the poem the speaker is describing what someone else that someone else being the traveler. The traveler is telling the speaker of a statue he once saw in a distant land, either being Greece or Egypt. He talks about how well the sculptor captured the true meaning behind this work of art. When the traveler mentions "hand that mocked them [the ruler's people], and the heart that fed” in the poem by this he is talking about how the king had such an authority over the people he ruled. The hand that the traveler mentions the way that the kings hand mocked the people by a way of command. He put everyone else below him.

Ramses II

• Ramses II was the second Egyptian king to rule in the 19th dynasty.

• Reigned for 67 years• Took the throne after his father, Seti l• Ramses is known for his building project such as temples, and

sculptures in Egypt• Was a powerful and ambitious king that expanded Egypt’s

empire.• The people thought he was so powerful that they looked

upon him as a god.

Poem Analysis• The rhyme scheme of the poem is: ABABA CDCED EFEF This rhyme scheme is collaborate with the subject

and theme of the poem.

• Unknown and Important words:

• visage: the face, features, expression, appearance.

• “The hand that mocked them”: shows the power that the king had and how he gave commands.

• “The heart that fed”: shows how the king also used his power to care for the needs of his people to prove that he is a good dictator in an attempt to keep his rule over the people.

Literary Time Period• ROMANTICISM (1798-1832)– Adds gothic element of horror and terror– Tranquility comes from nature– Human ideas– In lyrical ballad– History• Gas lamps developed• Napoleon comes to power and opposes England• Railroads• Middle class gets representation in British Parliament

Romanticism and Ozymandias

• Ozymandias is characterized by– The foreign setting– The theme, the past– Imagery

Crucial Elements

• Percy Bysshe Shelley was influenced by Egyptians– Example: Ozymandias in Greek means pharaoh,

Ramses 2

• He wanted to learn more about the origins• During the early 1800’s Egyptian kings like

Ramses were displayed at the British Museum– Ramses supposedly talked to Moses

Element + Ozymandias

• The narration of the poem tries to recreate the King’s power

• The Egyptian desert enlightens us of the toil between the subject and writer

• Shelley often wrote about oppression, religion, and politics

Works Cited• http://

www.fofweb.com/Lit/default.asp?ItemID=WE54• http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?

sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=seneca_ca&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CCX2692500020&&docId=GALE|CX2692500020&docType=GALE&role=

• Blooms Literacy Reference Center

Works Cited

• "Romanticism." StudyGuide.org. Web.• Merriman, C.D. "Percy Bysshe Shelley." The Literature

Network. Jalic Inc., 2006. Web.• Bloom, Harold, ed. "'Ozymandias'." Percy Bysshe

Shelley, Bloom's Major Poets. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2001. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BMPPBS03&SingleRecord=True (accessed May 20, 2010).

Works Cited• Faulkner, Raymond O. "Ramses II." Middle Search Plus. Encyclopædia

Britannica. Web. 21 May 2010.

• "Ozymandias." Poetry for Students. Ed. Ira Mark Milne. Vol. 27. Detroit: Gale, 2008. 171-193. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 19 May 2010.

• Mikics, David. "Percy Bysshe Shelley: “Ozymandias”." The Art of the Sonnet. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2010. Web. 20 May 2010.

• Bloom, Harold. "Ozymandias." Percy Bysshe Shelley. Chelsea House Publishing, 2001. Web. 19 May 2010.

Works Cited• Eschwege, Ellen. "Ramses II." Encyclopedia of Anthropology. Ed. H. James

Birx. Vol. 5. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Reference, 2006. 1982-1983. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 21 May 2010.

• Bloom, Harold.Percy Bysshe Shelley. New York:Chelsea House, 1986.

• Bloom, Harold.Percey Bysshe Shelley. New York:

Chelsea House, 2001.