Read the poem.
Ozymandias
by Percy Bysshe Shelley
The title of the poem, “Ozymandias,” alludes to Ozymandias, the Greek name for Ramessess II, who was regarded as one of the greatest and most powerful of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs.
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.”
1. In “Ozymandias,” the phrase “antique land” alludes to Egypt.
How does the allusion to Egypt create meaning in this poem?
It compares what Egypt was to what it has become.
It implies that the land is empty and barren.
It hints at the buried treasures that lurk just beneath the sands.
It creates a sense of mystery and antiquity.
2.What is one way Shelley uses source material in “Ozymandias”?
There is a ritual that one must complete to see the statue.
The statue is breathtaking and inspiring.
The traveler telling the story is the same person who carved the stone.
The statue is of a once powerful leader.
