APOWERPOINT

PRESENTATIONON

OZYMANDIAS

‘Ozymandias’ is one of the greatest poems of the renowned poet P.B. Shelley. Ozymandias was a mighty and famous king of Egypt. He got his own statue built. The poet came to know through a traveller that Ozymandias’ statue was seen by him in a broken condition. His trunk less statue stands lonely in the desert. Under the statue are inscribes the words : ‘My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings’. Thus, in this poem the poet brings out the vanity of human pomp and power. Everything in this world is subject to decay. The name and fame of mighty and powerful human beings is short lived. Time may be a great healer, but it is also a merciless destroyer.

INTRODUCTION

The son of a Rich Tory Squire, Percy Bysshe Shelley was educated at Eton and then send to Oxford. Shelley came under the influence of revolutionary ideas of the English philosopher, William Godwin, whose daughter, Mary Godwin he ultimately married. In 1818, Shelley left for Italy; he drowned in the Bay of Spezia in 1822.

About the Poet

I met a traveller from an antique landWho said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stoneStand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,Tell that its sculptor well those passions readWhich yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal these words appear:"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bareThe lone and level sands stretch far away.

Ozymandias -By William Shakespeare

Once the poet met a traveller from the ancient land of Egypt. He told the poet the story of an Egyptian king named Ozymandias. The traveller told him that he had seen two huge legs of stone standing in the desert of Egypt. The legs were trunk less. A shattered visage lay by the side of these huge legs. It lay half-buried in the sand. It had a frown on its brow. It had wrinkled lips. It had a sneering look. There was an expression of cold command in its eyes. These things stamped on the visage showed that the sculptor had understood the king’s passions on stone had died, but his art was still alive.

Summary of the Poem

Similarly, the king whose heart fed those cruel passions on stone had died, but the signs of his cruelty could still be seen. The poet means to suggest that a man dies but his actions outlive him.The following words were written on the pedestal of the statue :“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings :Look upon my works, ye! Mighty, and despair!”The traveller told the poet that now nothing remained of that proud king. No trace of his power was left on the sands of time. There was nothing but sand round the decay of that huge statue. It lay all in ruins.Round it the lone, level and barren sands of the desert stretch far away.

 A. Answer these questions in about 30-40 words each :

Q.1. In which state had the traveller seen the statue of Ozymandias? Where had he seen it?Ans: The traveller had seen the statue in a desert of Egypt. It was no completely destroyed. Two trunkless huge legs of stone remained standing in the desert.Q.2. How does the poet describe the expression on Ozymandias’ face?Ans: The shattered face of ozymandias’ statue lay half-buried in the sand. It had a frown on its brow. It had wrinkled lips. It had a sneering look showing cold command in his eyes.Q.3. How do you think is the meaning of ‘Nothing beside remains’?Ans: It means that no trace of ozymandias power was seen on the sands of time. There was only vast desert sand around the decay of his huge statue.

Questions from the text

Q.4. Where was the statue seen and how was the place described by the traveller?Ans: The statue of Ozymandias was found by a traveller in a desert. It was trunkless and lay in a shattered condition. The place is describes, sandy, vast and lonely.Q.5. “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings”. What does it show about him?Ans: On the broken and shattered statue of Ozymandias was written that “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings”. It shows that Ozymandias was vain and proud. He thought that it would make him immortal.Q.6. “Look on my works” – Where were the works of Ozymandias?Ans: Ozymandias was very proud of his might and achievements. But his works are nowhere to be found. There was nothing but sand round the decay of his huge statue.

B. Answer these questions in about 60-70 words each :

Q.1. What do you think is the central idea of the poem ‘Ozymandias’?Ans: This poem depicts the vanity of human pomp and power. Everything in this world is subject to decay. Even the mightiest of human beings are destroyed by the time. Nothing remains of them.Ozymandias was a very powerful king of Egypt. He thought that he was ‘King of Kings’ and have tremendous achievements to his credit. But all his glory and power were long forgotten. Even his statue lay in ruins.Q.2. Do you think the ‘mighty’ of today will despair while looking at what remains of Ozymandias?Ans: Ozymandias raised his own huge statue to immortalize his name. but his statue lay in a shattered condition on the desert. So, it shows that all material objects are subject to decay. I think looking at the broken statue of Ozymandias, the ‘mighty’ of today can learn a lesson. They should ‘despair’ looking at what happened to the statue of Ozymandias.

Q.3. How, in your view, was the sculptor of statue of Ozymandias as an artist?Ans: The sculptor who made the huge statue of Ozymandias must be a very good artist. He seems to be a good judge of human character. He was able to read well the passions of the king’s heart. He stamped them very correctly on the face of the king’s statue. The traveller told the poet that the sculptor who stamped the expressions on the king’s face had died, but his art was still alive.Q.4. How does the poet depict kingly tyranny and vanity in the poem ‘Ozymandias’?Ans: The poet thinks that the kingly tyranny can neither save the king from death nor do him any honour after death. Not tyranny or vanity, but only his good deeds and his selfless service for the people can immortalize him. Ozymandias was a powerful king. He thought himself as ‘King of Kings.’ But these words written on the pedestal of his statue show how short-sighted he was. Even his statue lies in ruins.

C. Answer the following questions by choosing the correct option each :

Q.1. The traveller was from :a) Greeceb) Egyptc) Italyd) FranceAns: b) Egypt

Q.2. The statue was :e) Completef) Without trunkg) Flat on the groundh) Slightly inclinedAns: b)without trunk

Q.3. The face of a statue had a :i) Cheerful lookj) Commanding lookk) Sneering lookl) Authoritative lookAns: c)sneering look

Q.4. The sculptor who made the statue was :a) Aware of king’s habitsb) Aware of king’s achievementsc) Aware of king’s feelingsd) Aware of king’s featureAns: c) Aware of king’s feelings

Q.5. King Ozymandias as a king was :e) proudf) Kind-heartedg) braveh) popularAns: a) proud

Q.6. The overall expression on the ‘visage’ was that of :i) hatredj) lovek) pityl) cheerfulnessAns: a) hatred

Thank you

Presented By : Abhishek DevClass : XRoll no. 03Subject - English