describe how shelley brings out the futility of power and riches in the poem,'ozymandias'
Answers
P.B. Shelley has beautifully conveyed the idea of futility of power and riches through the poem 'Ozymandias'. In the eternal onward march of life kings, emperors, despots, generals, etc. do not matter at all! Life is immortal. He doesn’t know what its design is! When in the long past, Ozymandias was such a mighty king in Egypt, he was so high-handed and arrogant of his power, wealth, and valour. He thought nobody could defeat him. He won many wars against his adversaries also. He got his statues built throughout his kingdom so that people would look at his works and shudder. However, his glory lasted only a few years. He became old, weak, and finally died. He was so sad at the approaching death. All his wealth, victories, and pride could not save him from the claws of death!
After a few centuries not even a trace of his kingdom was left! His palace, his wealth, the statues and buildings he had got built, all decayed into ruins. His statues lie broken, surrounded by sandy deserts on all sides. Not a single statue is intact! All broken! All men are equal. It does not matter whether you are a common man or an emperor! All die at the end. All power belongs to time, life, and God, who created the both. Only art and creativity survive. For example, the sculptor who sculpted his statue, he has survived till now in his art. Life is so complex and powerful.Arrogance does not assure immortality and durability against all powerful time and nature. The poem highlights the vanity of human glory and power. Everything in the world perishes with the passage of time and under the powerful influence of the elements of nature.
Even the mightiest of the mighty becomes one with the dust.
No trace of them is left on the sands of time. Ozymandias, a powerful king of Egypt was proud of his glory and achievements. He desired to immortalize his name and got a statue built. But nothing could stand against time and the powerful elements of nature.
The broken statue symbolizes the destruction caused by time and the sands,lone, boundless and bare symbolize the power of the elements.