1. Hubris and Mortality: Shelley highlights the human tendency towards hubris and the futility of excessive pride. The poem criticizes the pursuit of grand ambitious and immortality without the recognition of one's mortality. Ozymandias, as the ruler, boasts about his power and grandeur but is ultimately reduced to a decaying statue in the desert.
2. Decay and Passing of Time: The poet emphasizes the temporal and transient nature of human creations and achievements. The ruins of Ozymandias' statue and palace symbolize how time eventually decays even the most impressive human endeavours.
3. Irony and Loss: Shelley employs irony to amplify his message. The once-mighty statue of Ozymandias is now broken, with its shattered visage conveying a sense of loss and emptiness. The poem highlights the vanity of human aspirations that fade into insignificance over time.
4. Nature's Endurance: The poem contrasts the enduring strength of the desert with the crumbling remains of Ozymandias' kingdom. Nature outlasts human arrogance, suggesting that natural world remains unchanged and indifferent to human endeavours.
5. Critique of Tyranny: Shelley uses "Ozymandias" to critique tyrannic and arrogant rulers who oppres their subjects and exploit their power for personal glory. The statue's mocking smile highlights the arrogance and emptiness of such rulers.
6. Theme of Power: The poem explores the theme of power and the desire to control and dominate others. Ozymandias represents a ruler who sought absolute power and left a legacy of destruction and decay.
7. Futility of Human Accomplishments: The poem underscores the futility of human accomplishments when measured against the vastness of time and nature. Shelley implies that human grandeur and ego are ultimately meaningless in the face of inevitable decay.
Overall, "Ozymandias" conveys the notions of transient fame, the vanity of human pursuits, the inexorable passing of time, and the insignificance of human power and legacy when contrasted with the enduring forces of nature and time itself.