Summary of the Chapter 'OZYMANDIAS'

                                            Summary

Lines: 1-4

The poet meets a traveler who came back after visiting an ancient region. The traveler speaks about a ruined statue whose broken legs are standing and the body is half sunk in the sand. The statue is not that of a common man, but it is of the great king Ozymandias. The statue of king Ozymandias. The statue of king Ozymandias, though broken, depicts the expressions of his face very clearly. The expressions are of arrogance, contempt and pride.

Lines: 5-8

His face depicts his frown and sneer with his upper lips curled as if in scorn. The poet says that the expressions on the face of the statue are very clear and depict each emotion very vividly. It seems the sculptor read the expressions of the king very clearly and depicted them in the same manner. The statue indeed is a work of a skillful sculptor who is able to read the transient and fleeting emotions from the face of the great king Ozymandias. However, the sculptor who made this statue and the king whose immortal emotions depicted, are dead. But the feeling sculpted in the statue leaves behind a living testimonials of the great skill of the artist. The poet here says that the sculptor must have felt his emotions and feelings.

Lines: 9-12 

The traveler says that on the pedestal of the statue was written "I am Ozymandias, the king of kings". This reflects the boastful nature of the king. This shows that he was a great king and his glory was spread far and wide. The poet says that it's ironical that the mightiest king who boasted "look at my works and despair" is no more and the statue which he got erected for himself is in a dilapidated condition. Those words seem very hollow now as the magnificent statue is destroyed and none of the king's work have lasted. So, these words stand as perfect contrast to the actual situation of the statue depicted.

Lines: 13-14

The traveler stresses on the irony of the situation that the mightiest king's kingdom and works are nowhere to be seen, what is left around is a vast stretch of sand. The vast stretches of boundless desert which surrounds the ruins of the statue, is contrasted to the smallness of the statue itself in comparison. The poet ends the poem with a message that nothing in this world is permanent. Everything is ephemeral and transient. time is all powerful and can reduce even the mightiest to a heap of dust. The vastness of Nature and the power of time are all significant and the vanity and boastfulness of man is nothing.  

                                            Outcome

It is not just the "mighty" who desire to withstand time; it is common for every human to seek immortality and to resist death and decay. No person on this earth welcomes death. The only thing that has survived in the king's kingdom is the artist's portrayal of his expressions in the form of the statue. Everything on this earth is transient, ephermal. Nothing will last forever. Everything will decay with time and only the good deeds and great arts survive.


Reference- https://shivamkv655.blogspot.com/2017/09/short-answer-questions-with-solutions.html