Percy Bysshe Shelly’s poem, Ozymandias, shows no matter the power your ambitions may have and how it affects the present, it’ll all come to an end, where your legacy no longer lives and your dust is the only thing that remains. Ozymandias describes himself as a “king of kings” demonstrating the power he must have over his people and how even the other kings are feeding his ego. Describing himself as a god-like human shows his strong desire to be at the apex of the human system and the drive he must have to push further than all human life and be considered a supreme being.
Ozymandias is portrayed as a cruel, mean and head-strong man. He cares more for the power he could accumulate than the people it’ll take to get there. The sculptor that was crafting his statue must have known this as when his face was created it had a” wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command.” Percy used alliteration to get his point across on this particular piece of text. Using a sharp consonant, Percy created a harsh atmosphere.
Percy Bysshe Shellys first wife was found dead in 1816, two years before Ozymandias was released. Perhaps the reason for themes eternal nothingness in his poem could be related to the death of his wife. Percy may have had an epiphany that no matter what you do while you are alive everything leads to the end and everything you dreamed for, the ambitions that kept pushing you forward will no longer be remembered.