The poem Ozymandias describes a broken statue of a legendary king of ancient times, lying forgotten in the desert.
Ozymandias was the Greek name of Pharaoh Ramses II.
Ozymandias statue was in the Ramesseum, Luxor, Egypt and one fragment of that broken statue inspired Shelley.
The sonnet form has been used in the poem to reflect Ozymandias' egotistical love of himself.
Ozymandius symbolizes the ephemeral nature of political power. This is a political sonnet of Shelley.
Arrogant Ozymandias thinks himself as the king of kings because he was the most powerful king of his time.
The poem talks about his foolish desire to immortalize himself by erecting a statue.
Ozymandias' – one of his most famous poems – is a warning about the arrogance of great leaders.
In 1817, news broke that archeologists had discovered fragments of a funereal statue of Ramesses II and intended to send the pieces to the British museum. This discovery inspired Shelley's pen.
The major theme behind "Ozymandias" is that all power is temporary, no matter how prideful or tyrannical a ruler is.
The irony of “Ozymandias” is that the forces of mortality and flexibility, will wear down and destroy all our lives. Tyrants are subject to time. All humans face death and decay.