New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Understanding the poem 'Ozymandias'

I can explain how Shelley presents the values of Romanticism in 'Ozymandias'.

New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Understanding the poem 'Ozymandias'

I can explain how Shelley presents the values of Romanticism in 'Ozymandias'.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Shelley was a Romantic poet who rejected monarchy, religion and other powerful institutions.
  2. ‘Ozymandias’ reflects Romanticism e.g. awe of nature, emotion, rejection of human power, fascination with the past.
  3. The poem reflects the power of pharaonic Egypt, which seemed eternal but fell to ruin.
  4. ‘Ozymandias’ can be read as a criticism of individuals and institutions that consider themselves invincible.
  5. ‘Ozymandias’ can be read as an allegory for the ephemeral nature of human power.

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.

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.

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.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is tyranny?
Correct answer: cruel, oppressive leadership
fair leadership
environmentally respectful leadership
Q2.
When was the Romantic period of history?
Correct answer: late 18th and early 19th century
early 1600s
the middle ages
Q3.
How is arrogance defined?
Correct answer: the belief that one is more important than others
telling other people what to do
loving yourself
Q4.
What is an example of abuse of power?
Correct answer: exploitation
rivalry
war
Q5.
What is a semantic field?
two words that mean the same thing but are spelt differently
when several words in a row start with the same sound
Correct answer: when a group of words link via their meaning
Q6.
Match each group of words to the semantic field being used
Correct Answer:red, tender, rose, bud,love

love

Correct Answer:torn, shattered, rip, wreck,decay

decay

Correct Answer:gleam, pristine, embellish, silky,opulence

opulence

6 Questions

Q1.
What inspired Shelley's 'Ozymandias'?
a statue of King George III
Correct answer: a statue of Ramesses II
speaking to a relative of a Egyptian Pharaoh
Q2.
How many voices are there in 'Ozymandias'?
one: the traveller
two: the traveller and Ozymandias
Correct answer: three: the speaker, the traveller and Ozymandias
Q3.
In 'Ozymandias', what state is the statue in the desert in?
it stands tall and proud
Correct answer: it has crumbled and withered away
it has been vandalised
Q4.
What big idea from Romantic literature does the poem emphasise?
celebration of the individual
critique of progress
Correct answer: rejection of powerful institutions
Q5.
What does Shelley show through the semantic field of decay in 'Ozymandias'?
that human power is eternal
that human power is invincible
Correct answer: that human power is ephemeral
Q6.
Match the quote to the idea that Shelley may have been exploring in the poem 'Ozymandias'.
Correct Answer:''My name is Ozymandias, king of kings'',Shelley criticises arrogant leaders

Shelley criticises arrogant leaders

Correct Answer:''sneer of cold command'',Shelley criticises oppressive leaders

Shelley criticises oppressive leaders

Correct Answer:''decay of that colossal wreck'',Shelley exposes the irony of Ozymandias' arrogance

Shelley exposes the irony of Ozymandias' arrogance