Percy Shelley's sonnet "Ozymandias" (1818) is, in many ways, an exception in his work: it is short, adhering to the fourteen-line length of most traditional sonnets ; its precise language, full of concrete nouns and active verbs, contrasts with the tortuous and abstract language of "O World! O Time!" (1824); and, above all, it does not seek to radicalize or shock, like "The Necessity of Atheism" (1811) or The Cenci, his 1819 cabinet drama about Shelley's incest and murder, often combative and politically charged makes "Ozymandias" seem vapid compared to most of his other poems That said, a close reading of the sonnet reveals his core political and theological beliefs, such as the importance of atheism, the impermanence of structures. man-made societies, and the inevitable certainty of oblivion: thematically strengthen the foundations of “Ozymandias.” With unusual subtlety and nuance, Shelley uses the poem's eponymous statue to highlight the ephemerality of power and civilization as a whole. .Say no to plagiarism.Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"?Become Original EssayStructurally, "Ozymandias" does not adhere to a specific form, although it contains elements of both the Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets. Operates in loose iambic pentameter, with each line consisting of ten syllables, except the first and tenth, which. they are eleven. Lines three and twelve, meanwhile, open with trochees, ignoring the idea that a sonnet must consist exclusively of iambs. The rhyme scheme is also abnormal, not conforming to any historically previous pattern of enjambment, further obscuring the rhyme and making them less pronounced. Furthermore, "Ozymandias" is not divided into an octave and a sestet, but is presented in a coherent block of text. As a result, the poem has a tight, prose-like quality, reading smoothly and quickly. Shelley's contempt for conventional forms reinforces the themes of the poem. He does not consider the Petrarchan or Shakespearean sonnet an immortal form, just as Ozymandias' reign cannot last forever. The looseness of the sonnet leaves no room for abstractions. As a result, Shelley's language is precise and concrete, making the poem dense with specific images. Lines two and three—"'two vast trunkless stone legs / Stand in the desert'"—situate the reader geographically and establish the dilapidated state of the Ozymandias statue. The immediately following two lines describe the statue's partially obscured head, which is "half sunk" in the sand. Ozymandias's "scowl, wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command" are the first example of Shelley inserting dramatic irony into the poem: Ozymandias's facial features are frozen in a menacing expression of confidence and power, and yet his kingdom has long since collapsed, and his statue isn't even whole anymore. Shelley adds a subtle critique of Christianity to this topic in line ten by having Ozymandias declare himself the “King of Kings,” a nickname often assigned to Jesus. This conspicuously loaded word choice further reinforces the overall design of “Ozymandias”: none it is immortal and no civilization or construct can last forever. Shelley is not content simply to show the intrinsically fleeting nature of power, but also wants to highlight the arrogance of individuals who believe they can challenge this inevitability. He does so through an obvious use of irony: the "colossal wreck" of the abandoned statue declares: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings, / Behold my works, O mighty one, and despair!" The irony, of course, is that the statue is now surrounded only by “lonely sands and..