In this episode, we’ll explore Percy Shelley’s poem Ozymandias and its central theme—the fleeting nature of human power. We’ll discuss how the ruined statue serves as a metaphor for the decay of political authority. We’ll also examine Shelley’s use of juxtaposition, contrasting Ozymandias’ past glory with his present ruin. Finally, we’ll analyze the use of caesura in the poem, highlighting how it reinforces the end of Ozymandias’ dominance.

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