Question

poetic devices used in Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Answer 1

Shelley wrote the poem in iambic pentameter. It has a very unorthodox rhyme scheme. There's some imagery in lines two through five. There's consonance and alliteration with “stone / Stand,” “cold command,” “boundless and bare,” “lone and level,” and “sands stretch.”

Answer 2

Percy Bysshe Shelly in his poem “Ozymandias” tells about the meeting with a person who has visited the place of ancient civilization. The speaker tells about a statue which once existed but now has broken. Still, the figure is recognizable and one can conclude that the figure is of a ruler who was powerful. The poet wants to reflect on the fact that it is only the art who has the capability to survive. Though the king was very mighty and powerful, it's only his sculpture which has existed until the present time.  

Ozymandias is a sonnet which is written in iambic pentameter. There are several imageries used in the poem like “stone”, “desert”, “sand” and “half-sunk”. The stone represents the nature which is used in building the statue.

Ozymandias is used as a metaphor which represents the nature of powerful political empires. King's pride and ego is represented with the huge size of the statue. The word 'lifeless' is symbolic of the loss of life and power of Ozymandias.