Ozymandias Analysis

TPCASTT

Title:

The title of Percy Shelley's poem is a reference to Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II, whose alternate name was Ozymandias. 

Paraphrase:

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

Connotation:

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...

means: near the decaying statue lies a "shattered visage", or a metaphor for the illusion that many kings and leaders had that their empire would be eternal. This is a "visage" of sorts because it's not real. It's only half sunk, and the following lines reaffirm that this statue represented the longevity of Ramesses's empire. Much like the statue, it it mostly destroyed yet an old decaying shell of it's former glory stands. The sculptor's passion was written down on the statue.

Additude:

Ironic. The statue is one of a pharaoh, and is metaphorical for the notion that many kings/leaders felt that their rule and empire would be eternal. The line that reads the inscription on the statue "...look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" is juxtaposed the following lines, stating that the Statue is surrounded but nothing but barren desert. It's ironic because the statue is essentially trying to strike a sense of fear and awe with their so-called everlasting empire, when the reality is that both the statue and the empire have decayed and for the most part, faded into history.

Shift:

The whole poem is overall ironic throughout, but there is a distinct shift between "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" and "Nothing beside remains. Round the decay...". This provides a shift from the mirage of grandeur, immortal empire to the reality that it has just become an ancient relic, faded into history.

Title Revisited: 

I find the title significant and a symbol for the rise and fall of empires.

Theme:

Nothing is eternal. The inevitable decline and fall of empires due to pompous leader's own arrogance and shortsightedness.