Comparing Poems 'Ozymandias And My Last Duchess'

‘Ozymandias’ by Percy Shelley and ‘My Last Duchess’ have many links and similar themes such as power, time and art. ‘Ozymandias’ shows the insignificance of human life after passing time whilst ‘My Last Duchess’ speaks of his deceased wife in a form of a speech.

Shelley uses iambic pentameter within his poem to reflect upon the pharaoh, Ozymandias. ‘Ozy’ means to breathe and ‘mandias’ is to rule so creates a person who is living to be in control and powerful. The poem written in iambic pentameter follows strict rules which reflects Ozymandias’ attitudes towards his people. Deeply negative words in the poem including ‘wrinkled’ and ‘sneer’ suggest he is a dictator and the reader is able to discover that the poem is certainly an attack and not praising his power. The rhythm of the iambic pentameter also resembles a heartbeat which can be seen as ironic as the pharaoh is dead.

In ‘My Last Duchess’ Browning also uses iambic pentameter to also show how controlling the Duke is as the poem follows strict rules. [add evidence of him being strict]The use of rhyming couplets is to emphasise words at the end of the line and make readers think of the specific word choice.

‘Cold command’. The use of the letter ‘c’ helps to create aggression and reflects the hard nature of Ozymandias. The use of this technique has enabled the reader to realise Ozymandias is a cruel dictator who abuses his power. ‘Boundless and bare’. The alliteration has been used to show that one of the voices has no sympathy after his statue is no longer there. It also emphasises the emptiness of the desert which has survived far longer than the statue as it is now lifeless. Readers can understand that his power has become irrelevant and the statue is no longer respected or cared