Comprehension

A. Answer in one or two words.

Q1. Which king is referred to in the poem ‘Ozymandias of Egypt’?
Answer: The poem refers to the Greek name for the pharaoh Rameses II, Ozymandias.

Q2. What type of a poem is ‘Ozymandias of Egypt’?
Answer: “Ozymandias of Egypt” is a sonnet.

Q3. Who is the speaker in the poem?
Answer: The speaker is the poet.

Q4. Who tells the poet about the shattered statue?
Answer: A traveler from an antique land tells the poet about the statue.

Q5. Name the collection of poetry in which ‘Ozymandias of Egypt’ got first published.
Answer: The poem was first published in the collection Rosalind and Helen, A Modern Eclogue with Other Poems.

B. Answer in a few words.

Q1. What is the rhyme scheme of ‘Ozymandias of Egypt’?
Answer: The rhyme scheme of the sonnet is ABABACDCEDEFEF.

Q2. What is ironic about the inscription on the pedestal of Ozymandias’s statue?
Answer: The inscription is ironic because it commands others to “Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!” but nothing is left of his works to see.

Q3. What is the only thing remaining in the vast desert?
Answer: The only thing remaining is the “colossal Wreck” of the statue.

Q4. Who was Ozymandias?
Answer: Ozymandias was the Greek name for the pharaoh Rameses II, who was one of the most powerful rulers of the ancient world.

Q5. What quality of Ozymandias does the narrator represent?
Answer: The narrator represents the arrogant, tyrannical, and boastful nature of Ozymandias.

C. Answer briefly in your own words.

Q1. Write a brief note on the theme of ‘transience of power’ as discussed in the poem.
Answer: The poem argues that all power is temporary and will eventually decay and be forgotten. The mighty king’s boast of his “Works” is shown to be meaningless, as only a broken statue remains in the vast, empty desert. The monument to his power has crumbled to dust, proving that human authority is fleeting.

Q2. ‘The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed’. Whose hand and heart has the poet referred to in this line?
Answer: The poet refers to the sculptor’s hand that mocked the king’s passions and the king’s heart that fed them. This indicates the sculptor’s satirical representation of the despotic ruler despite being in his service.

Q3. How does the poet describe the expression on Ozymandias’s face?
Answer: The poet describes the expression as a frown, a “wrinkled lip,” and a “sneer of cold command,” which successfully captures the king’s tyrannical and arrogant personality.

D. Answer in detail.

Q1. Bring out the central idea contained in the poem ‘Ozymandias of Egypt’ by P.B. Shelley.
Answer: The central idea of the poem is the ephemerality of human power and the permanence of art. The poem presents a king, Ozymandias, who believed his power and works were so immense that they would last forever. However, the traveler’s description reveals that all of his “colossal Wreck” has turned to dust, while the art of the sculptor, which captures the tyrant’s true nature, has survived. The sculptor’s hand, which “mocked” the king’s passion, has created a more lasting legacy than the king’s empire. This shows Shelley’s interest in the enduring quality of art and poetry over fleeting human authority.

Q2. Identify the figures of speech in the poem.
Answer: The poem uses several figures of speech, including:

1. Personification: In the line, “the lone and level sands stretch far away”.
2. Juxtaposition: The transient nature of Ozymandias’s power is juxtaposed with the eternal nature of the desert and art.
3. Alliteration: In phrases like “lone and level” and “boundless and bare”.
4. Metaphor: The shattered visage is a metaphor for the broken pride and fleeting nature of power.
5. Irony: The inscription on the pedestal is ironic, as it boasts of the king’s “Works” that have long since disappeared.