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Table of Contents
Short Summary of the Poem: Ozymandias
The poem begins with the narrator saying that he met a traveller from an old land. The traveller told him about a huge and broken statue in the desert. Only the two legs of the statue were standing. Nearby, half-buried in the sand, was the shattered face of the statue.
The face had a proud and angry expression—a frown, wrinkled lips, and a cold sneer. The traveller said the sculptor understood the king’s emotions well and had carved them clearly in stone.
At the bottom of the statue, on its pedestal, were these words:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
The king, Ozymandias, thought he was very powerful. He believed no one could defeat him. But now, nothing was left around the statue. All his great works had disappeared. Only ruins remained in the empty, endless desert.
This poem shows that power and pride do not last forever. Nature and time are more powerful than even the mightiest kings.
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Detailed Summary of the Poem: Ozymandias
1. The Traveller Tells a Story: The poem begins with the narrator saying that he met a traveller from an antique land. This means the traveller came from a very old and faraway country. The traveller told him about something strange he saw in a desert.
2. A Broken Statue in the Desert: The traveller saw a huge statue, but it was broken into pieces. Only the two large legs were standing. The upper body was missing. Nearby, in the sand, was the shattered face of the statue. The face showed a frown, a wrinkled lip, and a sneer of cold command. These expressions showed that the man the statue represented was proud, rude, and powerful.
The traveller says that the sculptor who made the statue understood the king’s emotions very well. Even though the statue was broken, the sculptor’s work still showed the feelings and personality of the king clearly.
3. The King’s Message: At the base of the statue, there was an inscription (writing) that said:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
This means the king’s name was Ozymandias, and he thought he was the greatest of all kings. He was telling other powerful people to look at his great works and feel small or helpless.
4. Nothing Remains Now: But after that, the traveller says something sad and surprising. Around the broken statue, nothing else remains. There are no buildings, no signs of his great works—just sand everywhere. The statue lies in ruins, and the desert is lonely, flat, and empty.
5. The Message of the Poem: The poet wants to say that pride, power, and wealth do not last forever. Even great kings like Ozymandias, who built huge statues and ruled strongly, are now forgotten. Time and nature are more powerful than human pride.
This poem teaches us to be humble, because one day, all our fame and power may also disappear—just like Ozymandias’s broken statue.
Pointwise Summary of the Poem: Ozymandias
1. The poet meets a traveller from a very old land.
2. The traveller tells him about a huge broken statue in the desert.
3. Only the legs of the statue are standing; the face lies broken in the sand.
4. The face shows a frown, wrinkled lip, and a sneer, showing the king’s pride and cruelty.
5. The sculptor had captured the king’s feelings and personality very well.
6. On the statue’s base, the king had written:”My name is Ozymandias, king of kings.”
7. He told other rulers to look at his works and feel hopeless.
8. But now, nothing remains—no palace, no city—just ruins and sand.
9. The statue has become a “colossal wreck”, and the desert is empty and endless.
10. The poem teaches that power, pride, and glory fade, but time and nature last forever.