Understanding the connections between Romanticism and Shelley's 'Ozymandias'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Shelley presents the values of Romanticism in 'Ozymandias'.
Key learning points
- Shelley was a Romantic poet who rejected monarchy, religion and other powerful institutions.
- ‘Ozymandias’ reflects Romanticism e.g. awe of nature, emotion, rejection of human power, fascination with the past.
- The poem reflects the power of pharaonic Egypt, which seemed eternal but fell to ruin.
- ‘Ozymandias’ can be read as a criticism of individuals and institutions that consider themselves invincible.
- ‘Ozymandias’ can be read as an allegory for the ephemeral nature of human power.
Keywords
Romantic - literature, popular in the late 18th and early 19th century that explored emotion and nature.
Immortalise - to cause someone to be remembered for a long time.
Ephemeral - lasting for only a short time.
Pacifist - someone who is against war.
Allegory - a piece of work in which the characters or events represent moral ideas.
Common misconception
Romantic literature is about love and romance.
Romantic literature is concerned with human emotion but Romanticism was a movement that rejected the principles of the Enlightenment period.
Teacher tip
Put pupils in groups of three to read the poem in the first learning cycle and get them to each take a different perspective in the poem.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the AQA Power and Conflict Anthology for this lesson.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is tyranny?
Q2.When was the Romantic period of history?
Q3.How is arrogance defined?
Q4.What is an example of abuse of power?
Q5.What is a semantic field?
Q6.Match each group of words to the semantic field being used
love
decay
opulence
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What inspired Shelley's 'Ozymandias'?
Q2.How many voices are there in 'Ozymandias'?
Q3.In 'Ozymandias', what state is the statue in the desert in?
Q4.What big idea from Romantic literature does the poem 'Ozymandias' emphasise?
Q5.What does Shelley show through the semantic field of decay in 'Ozymandias'?
Q6.Match the quote to the idea that Shelley may have been exploring in the poem 'Ozymandias'.
Shelley criticises arrogant leaders
Shelley criticises oppressive leaders
Shelley exposes the irony of Ozymandias' arrogance
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding the connections between Romanticism and Shelley's 'Ozymandias', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding the connections between Romanticism and Shelley's 'Ozymandias', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the Poetry anthology (Assessment until summer 2026) unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.