How does shelley describe the statue of ozymandias?
Answers
In this poem, a traveler tells the speaker about the statue. He says that all that is left of Ozymandias are two "trunkless legs" and a "shattered visage." There are two legs with no body (no "trunk"), and beside the legs lies a broken and eroded face. The statue has faded over time as a result of erosion and maybe even defacement or destruction by some enemy.
The eroded face shows a frown, a "wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command." The king/pharaoh (Ozymandias, also known as Ramses II) had commissioned a sculptor to create this statue to serve as a monument to his (Ozymandias's) greatness. The sculptor did well to capture the arrogant ruler's condescending frown and his self-righteous sneer. Thus, the sculptor's hand "mocked" Ozymandias by presenting him as he really was: a condescending, proud, self-righteous ruler. The sculptor has mocked the ruler by sculpting a vain look on the face (visage).