Ozymandias and Irony

     In Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias", a traveler comes across what use to be part of a great statue. The inscription on the statue talks about a great king by the name of Ozymandias. Ozymandias was once a great king with vast riches and power, but the only memory that remains of this are the ruins left of his kingdom. The poem is continuing to talk about the setting around the narrator and the irony that is hidden in it. The poem is discussing how pride in oneself can lead to ones' ultimate downfall.
     In the inscription, it describes the life of the king and who he was to begin with. He describes himself as a "king of kings". Normally when one describes the king of kings they are referring to Christ, but due to the supposed age of the sculpture this was created at some time before the birth of Jesus. Ho goes on to tell others to look at his works, but in reality there is nothing there. The environment may have once been rich and vast, but has now been reduced to a desert. A sense of irony can be felt in this line because if he was once truly a "king of kings" then why is it that his statues venerating him are not still remaining. The author even points out that nothing remains. In this poem, one can feel a sense of irony. This irony refers to the ruler's sense of accomplishment and hope that his greatness will continue on throughout the ages but in reality nothing left remains of his empire.