Ozymandias of Egypt questions and answersof class 12ahsecalternative English ncert book vibgyor complete solution withOzymandias poem summary and critical analysis.The author isPercy Bysshe Shelley(PB Shelley).
In the poem "Ozymandias", P.B. Shelley has penned down the tale of the great Egyptian Pharaoh Ozymandias narrated by a traveler. The traveler gave an account of what he encountered during his journey through a desert. He says that he saw the statue of the great king Ozymandias lying destroyed on the ground. He praises the brilliance of the sculptor who was successful in revealing the passions of the king in his sculpture. The king's proud eyes bear his arrogance. But the irony lies in the fact that the head of the statue was half sunk on the sand and only half of the king's body was standing erect. Below the pedestal bore the lines by the king. "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings look on my work, ye mighty, and despair." The king considered himself to be the greatest of all kings and challenged others to exceed his fame. He believed and challenged that no one could do greater work than he did. But the broken statue revealed just the opposite of whatever the king predicted. The pedestal bears the pride of the king while the broken statue justifies the supreme power of time. None can stand long against the force of time and the same thing happened to the statue of the King. The king remains the ruler of nothing but the desert which symbolizes decay. The half-sunken head of the King's statue is ironical to the proud inscription caved on the pedestal. Like the statue of the king, his boast was also mixed with dust and ridicules his vainglory.
A. Answer the following questions in one or two words.
1. Name the poet of "Ozymandias of Egypt".
Ans: Percy Bysshe Shelley is the poet of "Ozymandias of Egypt”.
2. When and where was the poet born?
Ans: The poet was born on 4 August 1792 in Sussex, England.
3. Which country is referred to as "an antique land"?(2017, 20)
Ans: Egypt is referred to as "an antique land".
4. In the poem, whose "hand mocked them”?
Ans:The 'hand' is the hands of the Sculptor who had built the statue of Ozymandias and been able to carve and mock the arrogance and vanity of the king.
5. Who did the narrator meet?
Ans: The narrator met a traveller from "an antique land" i.e. Egypt.
B. Answer the following questions in a few words.
1. What is a sonnet?(2016)
Ans: A sonnetis a type of poem containing 14 lines, each of 10 syllables. All the lines rhyme with each other in a fixed pattern.
2. Who Was Ozymandias?(2019, 22)
Ans: Ozymandias was a powerful king of Egypt. He was proud and arrogant. He claimed himself to be the king of kings. Ozymandias lived with the belief that other mighty rulers would not be able to attain his greatness.
3. What did the traveller come across in the desert?(2017)
Ans:The traveller came across the fragmented statue of king Ozymandias lying in the sands of a vast desert. He saw two 'trunkless legs' of stone standing in the desert and the shattered visage of the statue partly buried in the sand.
4. What was inscribed on the pedestal of the statue?(2016, 18, 19, 22)
Ans: It was inscribed on the pedestal that—
"My name is Ozymandias, King of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
5. Whose greatness is actually glorified in the poem?(2020)
Ans: The greatness of the sculptor who had made the statue of Ozymandias is actually glorified in the poem. The art of the sculptor still remains, while the political power of king Ozymandias is already reduced to dust. Art is permanent.
C. Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.
1. What does "Wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command" signify?(2017)
Ans:In the fragmented statue of Ozymandias sculptor successfully imprinted ‘the wrinkled up and sneer of cold command'. This expression on the face signifies the arrogance of the king and clearly shows how the king must have yielded a lot of power over his subjects. It also clearly exhibits how well the sculptor studied the passions and essence of the king's personality.
2. Describe the condition of the statue that the traveler comes across in the desert. (2018)
Ans: When the traveller saw the statue of Ozymandias, it was lying fragment in the sands of a vast desert. The two "trunkless legs" of the stone statue was standing in the desert and its shattered visage was partly buried in the sand. The face was imprinted with a frown and a mask of sneer which signifies the arrogance of the king and clearly shows how the king must have yielded a lot of power over his subjects. It also clearly exhibits how well the sculptor studied the passions and essence of the king's personality.
On the pedestal of the statue are inscribed the words –
"My name is Ozymandias, King of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair."
3. What kind of king was Ozymandias?
Ans: Ozymandias was a powerful king. He was proud and arrogant and must have yielded a lot of power over his subject. He built a huge statue in order to immortalize his name and fame. He claimed himself to be king of kings Ozymandias lived with the belief that other mighty rulers would not be able to attain his greatness.
D. Give suitable answers to the following.
1. What is the message that the poet wants to convey in the poem?(2019)
Ans: In the poem, the poet wants to convey that the power and pride of a king is not permanent. The statue of once-powerful king Ozymandias is now lying fragmented in the sands of a vast desert. The might of the king is no longer evident. Neither the king nor his empire remains. All that remains are the ruins of the statue that speak of the artist's greatness. Through this poem, the poet conveys to the reader the idea of human mortality and the permanence of art.
2. What else remained there besides the broken statue? What does it signify?(2020)
Ans:Nothing else remained besides the broken statue of Ozymandias. Only a ‘shattered visage’ and two ‘trunkless legs’ of stone lying amidst the bound and bare stretch of sand in the desert.
It signifies the ideas of human mortality, the impermanence of political power, and the permanence of any form of art.
Previous Years Papers Solution
1. Whom did the narrator of 'Ozymandias of Egypt' meet? (2016) 2. What is a sonnet? (2016) 3. What was inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Ozymandias? (2016, 18, 19, 22) 4. What do the words on the pedestal of the statue of Ozymandias imply? (2016) 5. Nothing besides remains, around the decay The poet here uses Ozymandias as a metaphor to comment upon the impermanence of political power. Ozymandias lived with the idea that other mighty rulers would not be able to attain his greatness. However, what remains now is only the ruins of his statue, and herein lies the irony. Neither the powerful king nor his empire remains and the ruins of the statue speak of the artist's skill and greatness. Through these lines, the poet brings to the reader the idea of human mortality and the permanence of art. 6. Where does the traveller in Shelly's poem come from? (2017)
Ans: The narrator met a traveller.
Ans:A sonnetis a type of poem containing 14 lines, each of 10 syllables. All the lines rhyme with each other in a fixed pattern.
Ans:It was inscribed on the pedestal that—
"My name is Ozymandias, King of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Ans: Ozymandias lived with the belief that other mighty rulers would not be able to attain his greatness. However, it is only the ruins of the statue that remain and this is used as a metaphor to comment on the impermanence of political power. It also brings forth to the reader the idea of human mortality and the impermanence of art.
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare.
The lone and level sands stretch far away. (2016, 19)
Ans: These lines have been taken from the poem "Ozymandias of Egypt" composed by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Ans: The traveller comes from 'antique land'.
7. Which country is referred to as an antique land? (2017, 20)
Ans:Egypt
8. What did the traveller come upon in the desert? (2017)
Ans: See Above Qno. 3 (B. Answer the following questions in a few words.)
9. What do the "wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command" signify? (2017)
Ans: See Above Qno. 1 (C. Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.
10. The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed. (2017)
Ans: These lines have been taken from the poem 'Ozymandias of Egypt' composed by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
The narrator here refers to the ability of the sculptor who skillfully reproduced the vain nature of the powerful ruler. The hand refers to the hand of the sculptor who has been able to carve, or 'mock'-in the sense of 'copy'-the arrogance and vanity of the king. The feelings that ruled the heart of the king inspired the sculptor's creativity. It is ironic that this show of arrogance has been reduced to nothing but ruins.
11. What is it that lies near the legs of stone in the desert? (2018)
Ans: Near the legs of stone in the desert lies a shattered, half-sunk visage.
12. What does one see beside the ruins? (2018)
Ans: Besides the broken statue in the vast desert there remained the impression of the artistic hands of the sculptor who had earned the statue of king Ozymandias and mocked the arrogance and cavity of the king. It signifies the power of art in front of the material world. Art is more permanent and everlasting than human life which is futile in the scheme of nature. The mark of the artist's greatness lay on the broken parts of the statue.
13. Describe in detail the scene seen by the traveller in the "antique land". (2018)
Ans: See above Qno. 2 (C. Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.)
14. Who is Ozymandias? (2019, 22)
Ans:Ozymandias was a powerful king of Egypt. He was proud and arrogant. He claimed himself to be the king of kings.
15. What kind of poem "Ozymandias of Egypt" is? (2019, 22)
Ans: The poem 'Ozymandias of Egypt' is a sonnet.
16. What is the message that the poet wants to convey in the poem "Ozymandias of Egypt"? (2019)
Ans: See Above Qno. 1 (D. Give suitable answers to the following.)
17. What was the expression on the face of the statue of Ozymandias? (2020)
Ans: Pride and anger
18. Whose greatness is actually glorified in the poem "Ozymandias of Egypt"? (2020)
Ans: See Above Qno. 5 (B. Answer the following questions in a few words.)
19. What else remained there besides the broken statue of Ozymandias? What does it signify? (2020)
Ans: See Above Qno. 2 (D. Give suitable answers to the following.)
20. What is the meaning of the word "visage"? (2022)
Ans: Face
21. What did the traveller from the antique land tell the poet? (2022)
Ans: The traveller tells the poet about a pair of stone legs that are somehow still standing in the middle of the desert. Those legs are huge but the body to which they belong is missing the legs are trunkless.
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FAQs
Who was Ozymandias questions and answers? ›
Ans: Ozymandias was a powerful king of Egypt. He was proud and arrogant. He claimed himself to be the king of kings. Ozymandias lived with the belief that other mighty rulers would not be able to attain his greatness.
What is Ozymandias of Egypt short summary? ›“Ozymandias” famously describes a ruined statue of an ancient king in an empty desert. Although the king's statue boastfully commands onlookers to “Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair,” there are no works left to examine: the king's cities, empire, and power have all disappeared over time.
What is Ozymandias Class 12? ›Who was Ozymandias ? Ans : Ozymandias was the name by which Ramses 2, a pharaoh, famous for many architectural structures was known to the Greeks. He was also known for his pride and vanity. Q.
What is the message that the poet wants to convey in the poem Ozymandias of Egypt Class 12? ›What message was Shelley trying to convey with the poem Ozymandias? The major theme behind "Ozymandias" is that all power is temporary, no matter how prideful or tyrannical a ruler is. Ramesses II was one of the ancient world's most powerful rulers.
Who are the 4 characters in Ozymandias? ›The four characters in the poem Ozymandias, by P.B. Shelley are: The narrator, the traveler who has returned from ancient land of Egypt where he saw the ruins of King Ozymandias's statues, the King Ozymandias, and the sculptor who had created the King's statues.
Who does Ozymandias symbolize? ›In Shelley's work, the statue of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II, or Ozymandias, symbolizes political tyranny.
Who is the pharaoh in Ozymandias? ›Ramesses the Great
In ancient Greek sources, he is called Ozymandias, derived from the first part of his Egyptian-language regnal name: Usermaatre Setepenre. Ramesses was also referred to as the "Great Ancestor" by successor pharaohs and the Egyptian people.
- Power of nature.
- Power of humans.
- Power of art.
- Futility.
In order to emphasise on him to be the most powerful of all kings, King Ozymandias calls himself 'King of Kings'. The king supposedly was very powerful, aggressive, arrogant and boastful.
What is the conclusion of Ozymandias? ›Conclusion of Ozymandias
The passage of time destroys even the most powerful or mightiest person or thing in the world. Thus, we should not be boastful, egoistic or live with pride. Instead, we should live a life of simplicity.
Why is he called Ozymandias? ›
Ozymandias was apparently inspired by the discovery in Luxor of a statue of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II (known in Greek as Ozymandias).
What kind of man was Ozymandias? ›Ozymandias was an arrogant, ruthless ruler who believed he was more powerful than those around him.
What is irony in Ozymandias? ›The irony of “Ozymandias” cuts much deeper as the reader realises that the forces of mortality and flexibility, described brilliantly in the concluding lines, will wear down and destroy all our lives. There is a special justice in the way tyrants are subject to time, but all humans face death and decay.
Why did Ozymandias ask the other kings to despair? ›Ozymandias refers to all the other rulers to come after his reign. They should despair, because according to him, they can't surpass his glory and power.
Why are there 3 voices in Ozymandias? ›Answer and Explanation: The three voices in ''Ozymandias'' are: the speaker who begins the poem, the traveler he speaks to, and the inscription on the base of the statue of Ozymandias. There are several possible interpretations for the inclusion of all three voices in the poem.
Is Ozymandias a power or conflict? ›The poem explores conflict between man and time and memory, as Ozymandias was largely forgotten, even though he thought his memory would last forever.
Who has the most power in Ozymandias? ›In 'Ozymandias', it is clear that Ozymandias was a powerful leader. Shelley describes the legs of the statue as 'vast' which suggests the whole statue must have been huge, implying his importance.
Why was Ozymandias a bad guy? ›He is the overarching antagonist of the series. Prior to the series' events, he launched a fake alien squid attack on New York City, killing three million people as part of a larger plan to avert a devastating nuclear war; in his view, he sacrificed three million lives in order to save the entire human race.
What does the broken statue symbolize in the poem Ozymandias? ›The lone and level sands stretch far away, shows nature's power and that no one can ever control it. Nature is beyond any human being's control and nature's power is unlimited. The broken statue of Ozymandias represents nature's power over everything.
Was Ozymandias good or bad? ›In the final chapters of Watchmen, the villainous plan at the center of the plot is revealed. We also learn that the villain is the most idealistic of the superheroes: Adrian Veidt or Ozymandias. He plans to kill millions of people, to wipe out New York City, in order to save the world.
What was Ozymandias real name? ›
A sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), written in 1817. Ozymandias was the Greek name of Pharaoh Ramses II.
What is Ozymandias called? ›"Ozymandias" is an ancient Greek name for Ramses II of Egypt. It is actually a Greek version of the Egyptian phrase "User-maat-Re," one of Ramses's Egyptian names.
Who was the greatest king of Egypt? ›Ramesses II, often revered as the 'greatest pharaoh' in Egyptian history, is a man of many faces. In statues and drawings from more than 3,000 years ago, the sacred sovereign is depicted as a handsome, godly man with a rounded face, a prominent nose, and high cheekbones.
Which yet survive Ozymandias? ›Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; And on the pedestal, these words appear: My name is Ozymandias.
What is the abuse of power in Ozymandias? ›The poem reflects on abuse of power, but by dwelling on the transience of mortal existence shows that even powerful dictators must fall. Although the dictator's power seemed 'vast' at the time, he (Ozymandias), was unable to achieve ultimate power, immortality. As a result his domination was incomplete and 'trunkless'.
What is central idea of the poem? ›A poem's core concept is the subject of the poem, or 'what it's about' if you like. While many shy away from poetry being 'about' something, at the end of the day, as it was written, the poet had something in mind, and that something, whatever it was or may have been, is the central concept.
Why is Jesus called the king? ›Christ the King is a title of Jesus in Christianity referring to the idea of the Kingdom of God where the Christ is described as seated at the right hand of God.
Who is the first king in the heaven? ›"Ouranos (Uranus, Sky) was the first to rule over the entire world. He married Ge (Earth) and sired first the Hekatonkheires (Hecatoncheires), who were names Briareos (Briareus), Gyes and Kottos (Cottus). They were unsurpassed in both size and power, and each had a hundred hands and fifty heads.
Is Jesus the King of Kings? ›"King of Kings" (βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων) is used in reference to Jesus Christ several times in the Bible, notably once in the First Epistle to Timothy (6:15) and twice in the Book of Revelation (17:14, 19:11–16);
What does Ozymandias think of himself? ›Ozymandias thinks pretty highly of himself and of what he's achieved, both politically and artistically. The fact that he commissions this "colossal" statue with "vast legs" points to his sense of pride, while the statue's fragmentary state indicates the emptiness (at least in the long term) of Ozymandias's boast.
Is Ozymandias a hero or villain? ›
Ozymandias (/ˌɒziˈmændiəs/ OZ-ee-MAN-dee-əs; real name Adrian Alexander Veidt) is a fictional anti-villain in the graphic novel limited series Watchmen, published by DC Comics.
Is Ozymandias ironic or tragic? ›It is tragic in that Ozymandias's legacy is all but destroyed by the passage of time, creating an air of great sadness and transience to the poem. On the other hand, the poem is quite ironic: Percy's depiction of Ozymandias is of someone intent on securing his legacy by building statues and making his greatness known.
What are the three of irony? ›There are primarily three types of irony: dramatic, situational, and verbal.
What is the oxymoron in Ozymandias? ›Oxymoron 'colossal wreck' shows that the great statue is now ruined. Shelley was a Romantic poet who believed nature was more powerful than humans. He hated authority which is why he mocks how nature ruins Ozymandias' statue. The poem is a warning to anyone who thinks their power is immortal.
What kind of person was Ozymandias? ›Ozymandias was an arrogant, ruthless ruler who believed he was more powerful than those around him.
Who is Ozymandias What did he think of himself? ›Answer: Ozymandias was a mighty king who had defeated many of the kings around his kingdom and had acquired those kingdoms. He was proud of his glory and power. He felt that he was the mightiest of all.
Who is Ozymandias quizlet? ›Ozymandias is another name for one of Egypt's most famous pharaohs - Ramses II or Ramses the Great. He was a warrior king and a builder of temples, statues and monuments.
Who was Ozymandias and what irony do you find in Ozymandias? ›The irony of “Ozymandias” cuts much deeper as the reader realises that the forces of mortality and flexibility, described brilliantly in the concluding lines, will wear down and destroy all our lives. There is a special justice in the way tyrants are subject to time, but all humans face death and decay.
Was Ozymandias a bad guy? ›Adrian Veidt, better known as Ozymandias and The Smartest Man in the World is the main antagonist of the Watchmen franchise. He is the main antagonist of both the comic book miniseries Watchmen and its 2017 sequel Doomsday Clock, as well as the overarching antagonist of the 2019 HBO television sequel.
What Ozymandias means? ›Ozymandias (plural Ozymandiases) A person once famous and respected who has since been utterly forgotten.
What did Ozymandias want? ›
By framing Manhattan for the disaster, Ozymandias intends to trick the world's superpower nations into putting aside their differences and uniting against him.
Who is the real person in Ozymandias? ›Ozymandias was the Greek name of Pharaoh Ramses II. The colossal monument to the apparently self-styled 'King of Kings' has shattered, illustrating the precarious, transitory nature of his power.
Who are the three characters in Ozymandias? ›There are three main characters, in ''Ozymandias'' by Percy Shelley: the speaker, the traveller, and the king. The king, of course, is long dead, but his statue still bears an inscription. The sculptor of the statue is also a character.
What is the image in Ozymandias? ›The imagery in “Ozymandias” is vivid but limited in scope. The poem contains one central image: the shattered statue of Ozymandias, the Egyptian king. The physical characteristics of the statue convey the poem's themes: the transient nature of human life, and the ultimate futility of fame, fortune, and power.
Why did Ozymandias ask the other king to despair? ›Ozymandias refers to all the other rulers to come after his reign. They should despair, because according to him, they can't surpass his glory and power.