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What I’ve Learned from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ozymandias”
Once upon a time, reigns a king who thought himself eternal.
The first time I found the name “Ozymandias” was not in Shelley’s poem. Rather, it was in the 1986 graphic novel Watchmen, which features an anti-villain called Adrian Veidt, who uses the name Ozymandias as his alias. I liked the complexity of Veidt’s character and Watchmen’s plot, and how different it was from other superhero stories.
But then I got curious. From Watchmen I learned Ozymandias is the title of a poem, so I looked it up, read it, and I was wonderstruck. The prose is captivating, and the lesson is profound. No wonder it transcends time and borders and inspires a breadth of other works. Later, I recalled that the highest-rated episode of my favorite show, Breaking Bad, was also inspired by and alludes to Shelley’s poem. The episode was aptly titled, “Ozymandias.”
But what’s so great about the poem?
Well, let’s read it together.
Note: From here on I will write “Ozymandias” in italic to refer to Shelley’s poem, and “Ozymandias” in regular font to refer to the individual.
Shelley’s poem
Percy Bysshe Shelley, also known as Glirastes, is a prominent English Romantic poet who…
