Ozymandias is the transliteration into Greek of a part
of Ramesses II's throne name User-maat-re Setep-en-re. Ramesses
II who ruled Egypt around 12th century B.C. is regarded as the greatest and most
powerful of all the Pharaohs.
Diodorus Siculus the Greek
historian has recorded one of the inscriptions found at the base of Ramesses II's throne
as "King of Kings am I, Osymandias. If anyone would know how great I am and where I lie,
let him surpass one of my works." It is this inscription which forms the basis for
Shelley's "Ozymandias" (1818).
Ozymandias was obviously a
very proud and arrogant man. He was vain enough to imagine that he was the most powerful
ruler on earth and he wanted every one to be terrified of him. He was always scowling
and frowning in order to scare every one around him. It is this angry frowning face
which the ancient sculptor has faithfully recorded for posterity in his
statue:
a
shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip,
and sneer of cold command,
The
Bible tells us in the Book of Proverbs 16:18 that,
“Pride goeth before
destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
This
is the theme of Shelley's poem. All the great rulers in history try to perpetuate their
memories by building mammoth statues. Their pride and arrogance knows no bounds as they
erect these huge statues and vainly inscribe bombastic claims about the superiority of
the kingdoms which they rule. They do this without realizing that they are only ordinary
mortals who have to return to dust along with all their
endeavors.
The colossal size of the statue only emphasizes
the king sized ego of Ramesses II and only underscores the futility of his attempts to
perpetuate his anonymity, because today,
Nothing beside remains.
Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and
bare
The
lone and level sands stretch far
away.
This
even though when he was alive he had boastfully
claimed,
“My name is Ozymandias,
king of kings:
Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and
despair!”
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