Extra Questions Answers - Ozymandias

Extract Based Question

Q1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.

its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed.

(a) What do "lifeless things" refers to?

(b) How do we know that he was a good sculptor?

(c) How did the heart feed the passions?

Ans:

(a) The phrase "lifeless things" refers to the broken fragments of the statue of Ozymandias - the ruined stone remains that lie in the desert.

(b) We know the sculptor was skilled because he was able to read and capture the ruler's emotions so clearly in stone that those passions still survive on the ruined statue. The expression and details carved into the face reveal the sculptor's ability to translate inner feeling into sculpture.

(c) The heart here is Ozymandias's own heart - the seat of his feelings and ambitions. His feelings of arrogance, cruelty and pride provided the sculptor with material to portray; in that sense the heart "fed" the sculptor with passions which the sculptor then immortalised in the statue's expression.

Short Answer Type Questions

Q2. What is ironic about the inscription on the pedestal of Ozymandias' statue ?

Ans: The inscription reads, "My name is Ozymandias, the king of kings, / Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!" It proclaims the ruler's supreme power and invites awe from other mighty men. The irony lies in the contrast between this boastful claim and the actual scene: the king's works have been destroyed and almost nothing remains. Instead of inspiring despair in rivals, the ruined statue and empty desert mock the claim and show the transience of human power.

Q3. Who does the 'shattered visage' in the poem, 'Ozymandias', belong to and why is it 'half sunk' ?

Ans: The "shattered visage" belongs to King Ozymandias. It is "half sunk" because of the long passage of time and the destructive forces of nature. The statue has been battered and buried partly in sand, showing how time reduces monuments to ruins.

Q4. Why does Ozymandias refer to himself as 'king of kings' ?

Ans: Ozymandias calls himself "king of kings" because he had defeated many rulers and ruled over a vast empire. His title reflects his pride, arrogance and belief in his unrivalled supremacy.

Q5. What is ironic about the fate of Ozymandias ?

Ans: The irony is that though Ozymandias tried to immortalise his power by erecting a grand statue with a proud inscription, both his statue and his works have crumbled to dust. His claim to eternal greatness is contradicted by the reality of decay and oblivion, emphasising the futility of human pride.

Q6. In the poem, 'Ozymandias', the poet says, 'the hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed'. How does the hand 'mock' them?

Ans: The "hand" refers to the sculptor's hand. It "mocked" them by skilfully carving features and expressions that revealed the ruler's character - the sneer, the frown, the commanding look - so perfectly that the statue, though ruined, still expresses Ozymandias's arrogance. The sculptor's imitation in stone both copies and exposes the ruler's personality.

Q7. What quality of King Ozymandias does the poem reflect?

Ans: The poem reflects Ozymandias's pride, arrogance and despotism. He is shown as a powerful, authoritarian ruler who was drunk with power and wished to be remembered for his might. The statue's expression and the pedestal's inscription show his desire for dominance and eternal fame.

Q8. "The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed." Whose hand and heart are referred to in this line? Why?

Ans: The line refers to the sculptor's hand and Ozymandias's heart. The sculptor's hand created the statue and "mocked" the ruler by reproducing his emotions in stone. The ruler's heart "fed" the sculptor with the passions (pride, cruelty, scorn) that the sculptor then expressed through his art. The combination shows how art captured and preserved the ruler's character.

Q9. What did the traveller see in the desert?

Ans: The traveller told the narrator that he saw a strange sight: two vast, trunkless stone legs standing in the desert. Nearby, a human face lay half buried in the sand. The ruined statue's fragments suggested the remains of a once-great monument to a powerful but now-forgotten despot; the sculptor's skill was still evident in the expressions carved on the face.

Q10. What message does the poem, 'Ozymandias' convey?

Ans: The poem conveys that time is more powerful than human pride, power and works. Human glory is transient; arrogance, cruelty and authority eventually fade. Monuments and achievements cannot secure immortality against the relentless passage of time. Readers are urged to recognise the futility of such vanity.

Q11. What feelings does the partially destroyed statue of Ozymandias convey?

Ans: The ruined statue conveys several meanings: the overwhelming power of time to destroy human achievement; the sculptor's great skill in capturing the ruler's feelings; and the ruler's scornful, hostile nature - his pride and tyranny. The desolate scene underlines the emptiness of boasting and conquest.

Q12. What words were written on the pedestal of the broken statue? What did they show?

Ans: The pedestal bore the inscription: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: / Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!" These words show the ruler's vanity and belief in his unrivalled greatness. They also reveal his challenge to other rulers and his wish to be remembered. Ironically, the proud claim is undercut by the ruined state of his works.

Q13. Describe the statue of Ozymandias in the desert.

Ans: The statue was shattered and in ruins. Only two vast, trunkless stone legs remained standing. The head lay on the ground, half buried in sand. The broken pieces once formed a grand statue of a powerful, cruel ruler. Time and the elements reduced the monumental stone to fragments strewn over the desert.

Q14. What message did the poet convey in the poem, 'Ozymandias'?

Ans: The poet emphasises the transience of human greatness and the supremacy of time. Emotions and attributes such as arrogance, pride and cruelty vanish with time. Even stone monuments cannot resist decay. The poem is a moral lesson: human vanity is futile and all things ultimately succumb to time.

Q15. Which sight was seen by the traveller in the desert?

Ans: The traveller saw two vast, trunkless legs of stone standing in the desert and a face lying half buried in sand near them. The features on the face showed the sculptor's talent in portraying the despot's emotions.

Q16. Bring out the irony in the poem, "Ozymandias".

Ans: The central irony is that Ozymandias's proud claim to being the supreme ruler is contradicted by the absence of his empire and the ruined state of his statue. He desired lasting fame and dominance, yet time has left only fragments that mock his boast. The poem demonstrates how human pretensions to permanence are humbled by history and nature.

Q17. What message is conveyed through the poem, 'Ozymandias'?

Ans: The poem conveys that time erases human achievements and that pride, power and cruelty are short-lived. It warns readers against arrogance and urges humility, for nothing remains unchanged before the forces of time and decay.

Long Answer Type Question

Q18. Bring out the irony in the words, "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings, Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!" as inscribed on the pedestal of the statue. What lesson does this irony teach us?

Ans: The inscription is meant to proclaim Ozymandias's greatness and to make powerful men despair at their own inferiority. The irony lies in the contrast between these grandiose words and the surrounding scene: the statue is broken, its works are gone, and all that remains is a desolate desert. Instead of inspiring awe, the ruins inspire a recognition of transience. The lesson taught is moral and philosophical: human pride and the desire for everlasting fame are futile before time. We should remember the limits of power and cultivate humility.

Q19. Describe how Shelley brings out the futility of power and riches in the poem, 'Ozymandias'.

Ans: Shelley uses imagery, irony and contrast to expose the futility of power and wealth. He presents the ruined statue in an empty desert to show how once-great monuments decay. The sculptor's depiction of the ruler's "wrinkled lip" and "sneer of cold command" reveal the ruler's cruelty and arrogance. The boast on the pedestal is undercut by the surrounding desolation, so the poem demonstrates that earthly power and riches cannot secure immortality. Time swallows all human grandeur, and Shelley's vivid description leads the reader to feel the emptiness of such pursuits.

Q20. What message does the poem, 'Ozymandias' convey?

Ans: The poem conveys that time is supreme and that human achievements, however great, are temporary. Pride, tyranny and material wealth ultimately fade. By showing the ruined statue and the ironic inscription, Shelley urges readers to accept the impermanence of worldly power and to learn humility.

Q21. What was written on the pedestal of the statue? What does it indicate?

Ans: The pedestal bore the inscription: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: / Look upon my works, Ye mighty, and despair." This indicates Ozymandias's ambition to be remembered and his belief in his unrivalled greatness. The words also reflect his arrogance and desire to dominate. The present ruined state of the monument, however, shows how such claims are hollow when faced with time and decay.