Viva La Vida Figurative Language

There is no denying that power comes with its advantages but, however when one is given power, they tend to use it as a form of destruction, creating a sense of damage and grief. In the three literary pieces the one thing the main characters have in common is the position of power they are in and not to mention their intention to be in total control. In Viva la Vida, Ozymandias, and The Count of Monte Cristo both the author and poets use imagery and figurative language to emphasize the idea that power can eventually lead to one’s downfall and leave them being miserable when one let’s power get to their head.

In Viva la Vida, the poet uses figurative language and imagery to present a story of a king who lost his kingdom. The king in the poem

presumed that power would never leave his side but, however in the end that very power led to his ultimate downfall. “seas would rise when I gave the word, now in the morning I sleep alone” (Coldplay line2-3). This example of figurative language from Viva la vida talks about how the king once thought that his state of authority and power would be eternal but, however what eventually happened was he lost his kingdom and was left alone and abandoned. The words “ when I gave the word” implies the amount of control the king used to have over his kingdom, and “now in the morning I sleep alone” shows the reader that because of the king’s egoistic nature, he was stripped of his superior position. “Just a puppet on a lonely string, oh, who would ever want to be king?” (Coldplay line 28-29). This is another example of figurative language where the poet reveals how the king felt lonesome even though he

In The Count of Monte Cristo, the main character The Count had limitless power in his hands giving him control over every situation that takes place.

One might presume that having such authority would be to their benefit, however that is not necessarily true. Alexandre Dumas uses imagery and figurative language in The Count of Monte Cristo to convey the idea that when one thinks they are superior because of the power they hold, they end up being miserable. “and then for a man who, like Satan, believed himself for an instant to be equal to God, but who realized in all humility that supreme power and wisdom are in the hands of God alone”(Dumas 530). This example of figurative language from the Count of Monte Cristo shows how the Count who used to compare himself to God, now compares himself to Satan because of all the pain he caused not only to others but himself due to misusing the power he had which left him feeling remorseful. The suffering he went through finally made him understand that he has not been using power for the right reasons and so he realized that having an abundant amount of power doesn’t make one happy. “He rushed over to the boy’s body with a feeling of inexpressible anguish, opened his eyes, felt his pulse, then picked him up, carried him into Valentine’s room and locked the door” (Dumas 485). This example of imagery helps the reader understand the pain and sorrow The Count felt after an innocent boy fell victim to his power. The Count believed that he

could do anything he wanted without facing any consequences because he believed himself to be a superior being.

“My name is Ozymandias, king of king . . . nothing beside remains . . . the lone and level sands stretch far away” (Laying pg6). The words “king of kings” helps the reader understand that Ramses II thought he was so powerful that other common kings couldn’t even try to match the kind of power he had. However all that power did Ramses II no good because all that is left of him now is remains of a broken statue, which was made so that his people would see him as a heroic and magnificent being to be remembered forever, scattered across a lonely desert. “And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, tell that its sculptor well those passions read . . . the hand that that mocked them, and the heart that fed” (Laying pg6).

In conclusion, the author and poets of the three literary pieces use figurative language and imagery to present the idea that the three protagonist were absorbed in the unrealistic life that power inflicted upon them. They believed themselves to be supreme beings because they thought having power and wealth made them superior.