Ozymandias

Study Guide

Literary Devices

Tone

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Literary Devices Tone

“Ozymandias” has a tone that is at once elegiac and quietly ironic. The term elegiac derives from a mournful type of poem known as an elegy, which typically centers on the loss of something cherished. Elegies often grieve the passing of beloved individuals, but they can just as well lament the loss of anything the poet may hold dear. As this definition suggests, elegies are characterized by a serious and often very grave tone. “Ozymandias” approximates the mournful tone of elegy through the quoted speech of the traveler. The traveler’s account describes in detail how the imposing statue of a mighty king has been reduced to ruins. There’s something decidedly mournful about how time’s relentless passage has broken his great “Works” (line 11) down to rubble. Yet there’s also a gentle irony at play in the sheer egotism and hubris registered in the words of Ozymandias, quoted on the pedestal that once formed the base for his monumental statue. This great “King of Kings” (line 10) clearly thought very highly about himself. Even if he couldn’t have everlasting life, he evidently believed his accomplishments might guarantee him an immortal reputation. Yet time has, literally and figuratively, cut him down to size.