Rames The Great Susan Hayward Meaning

More Important Things
Susan Hayward, iconic American actress, accurately claimed that "no one will truly
remember [her] after death, anyhow, what stays important is the good a person accomplishes during life, instead of how long they will be remembered." (Hayward,*1) Ozymandius, a poem penned by Percy Byshhe Shelley in 1817, agrees with Susan Hayward's infamous quote in all aspects. During the Revolutionary War, Ozymandius is written with the intention of addressing King George III. Within the poem, the narrator relays that the only thing left to remember of Ramses the Great, the Egyptian Pharaoh, is the eroded remains of his statue, Ozymandius. This great memorial, ordered to be erected by the conceited king to exalt himself, happens to be

negligently strewn about the desert floor. Shelley's creative one-stanza masterpiece holds true as a warning that the English king will deteriorate like the remembrance of Ramses the Great. Examples of irony throughout this anecdote reiterates that eternal appreciation in this world is apocryphal.
The exemplary verbal irony in Shelley's work remains a subtle illustration of the comedic and warning effect of the statue's destiny. On the pedestal of the great statue of Ozymandius, crumbled and languished, bold words appear as a forewarning of verbal irony. Etched onto the remnants, the introduction to the once-great remembrance of Ramses states "My name is...the King of Kings." (Line 10) The fact that only those words are standing is silent mockery to the
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"King" that now lies on the ground in pieces. As all Christians understand, Ramses is never eternally the King of all royalty as he believes. In the next line under his introduction, more words are used to exalt Ramses' egocentricity. The assertive command,"Look on my works...and despair" (Line 11) is all that readers behold. The only works left to witness are the
"remains" (line 12) of his petty statue. Given the situation, it is hard for readers not to laugh, considering the fact they were instructed to "despair" at his works. Verbal irony was the key component to effectively warn King George of his ridiculous destiny as a forceful dictator.
In addition to subtle verbal irony, the whole poem is riddled with strong situational irony that sets the tone towards King George's attempts during the war.

According to history, Ramses the Great never expected fallen remains to be his only predecessor and token of appreciation. However, "half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies'" in the place of where his great example of glory should have stood firm. (Line 4) Irony is clearly exalted in the fact that the face he has meant to look down upon spectators now lies buried in sand. The prideful king expects the statue of himself to glorify him but instead, the memoir is a source of mockery to his reputation. The fallen face reminds readers of the iconic catchphrase, "Pride comes before the fall." The fact that the sculptor carefully considered the precision of facial expression for the statue is an additional source of situational irony. The face that is peering out of the grimy sand displays a "wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command." (Line 5) One expects this haughty emotion to remain on a mighty being, instead of a mocked, unappreciated king. Intended as condescending, the facial expression contrasts greatly to its position of shame among dirty granules of sand. The obvious situational irony throughout the entire poem sets the tone for warning the English king that appreciation and remembrance is extremely

temporary.
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Different forms of irony in Shelley's work plays an important part in warning King George that his actions are futile. An understanding of the background of Ramses the Great gives the poem's warning a whole new depth for all readers and proves that the fall of King George is also inevitable. Most significantly, the lesson learned from this story is that pride always comes before the fall, and the only thing one will always remember is the good that is passed on. Even if appreciation is glaringly temporary, Susan Hayward's quote is correct in stating that there are more important things in life than just being remembered.