What is the Ozymandias poem about?

"Ozymandias" is a sonnet written by the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and published in 1818. It is one of Shelley's most famous and frequently analyzed poems. The poem presents a traveller encountering the remnants of a statue of a once-powerful ruler named Ozymandias, who is characterized by hubris and the desire for eternal fame. Through the description of the statue and its surroundings, the poem reflects on themes of the futility of power, the transience of human achievements, and the inevitability of time's passage.

Here's a summary of the poem's key points:

1. Setting: The poem opens in a desert, where a traveller encounters a colossal, half-buried statue.

2. Description of the Statue: The speaker provides a detailed description of Ozymandias's statue, which lies broken and eroded by the desert sands.

3. Ozymandias's Hubris: Through inscriptions on the statue's pedestal, the traveller learns about Ozymandias's arrogant boasts about his power and the permanence of his empire.

4. Irony and Juxtaposition: The poem contrasts the grandiosity of Ozymandias's claims with the desolation of the statue and its surroundings, highlighting the irony and impermanence of his legacy.

5. Theme of Power and Transience: The poem explores the theme of the transience of power and human ambition. Despite Ozymandias's desire for immortality and control, his grand creations have crumbled, and he is now forgotten.

6. Symbolism and Allegory: The poem uses Ozymandias as an allegorical figure to comment on the futility of human efforts to achieve lasting glory and power.

7. Contrast between Past and Present: The poem juxtaposes the grandeur of the past (embodied by Ozymandias) with the harsh realities of the present, showcasing how time erodes even the mightiest empires and achievements.

8. Concluding Lines: The final lines of the poem capture the desolate scene of the statue, surrounded by "nothing beside remains."

Overall, "Ozymandias" serves as a powerful meditation on the transience of human power and ambition and the ultimate insignificance of human endeavours in the face of time's relentless march.