Ozymandias

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Literary Devices

Rhyme

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Literary Devices Rhyme

“Ozymandias” features a unique rhyme scheme that at once references and retools the traditional rhyme pattern of the English sonnet. A typical English sonnet is organized into three quatrains and a final couplet, as follows: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. By contrast, the rhyme scheme of “Ozymandias” looks like this: ABABA CDCED EFEF. The alternating A/B, C/D, and E/F rhymes clearly approximate the use of quatrains in the traditional English sonnet. However, it’s equally clear that Shelley has not grouped these alternating rhymes into strict quatrains. The extra A rhyme in line five unexpectedly extends the first quatrain: ABABA. Also unexpected is the additional E rhyme that interrupts the second quatrain: CDCED. Furthermore, because of these extra rhymes inserted into the poem, “Ozymandias” lacks the final couplet that traditionally closes the English sonnet. These alterations to the English sonnet reflect Shelley’s interest in formal experimentation, and they do so in a way that’s meaningful in the poem at hand. Shelley’s nontraditional scheme dissolves the hard boundaries between quatrains, allowing him to introduce new rhymes on a rolling basis and replace the old rhymes gradually. This formal technique mimics the gradual nature of transformation over long periods of time.