“Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
PowerPride
Context: The inscription on the pedestal of the ruined statue, spoken in the voice of the long-dead king Ozymandias.
Analysis
The imperative "Look" and the boastful command reveal Ozymandias's arrogance and belief in his own permanence. The dramatic irony is devastating: the "Works" he commanded others to fear are now nothing but "colossal wreck". Shelley uses the line to argue that human power is transient and that hubris is ultimately humbled by time.
Language Techniques:
ImperativeDramatic ironyDirect address
Exam Tip
A perfect quote for the transience of human power. Contrast with "boundless and bare" desert that outlasts him. Link to Shelley's radical politics and distrust of tyrants.