Which line of this excerpt from "Ozymandias" by Percy Shelley reflects the theme that art alone can last forever? "Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed: And on the pedestal these words appear: My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away."

Question

Davin Andrade

Social Studies

5 March, 02:22

Which line of this excerpt from "Ozymandias" by Percy Shelley reflects the theme that art alone can last forever? "Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed: And on the pedestal these words appear: My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away."

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Answers (1)

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Trent Harrell · Answer 1

The line that reflects the theme that art alone can last forever is: "Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things"

Explanation:

The speaker of Percy Shelley's "Ozymandias" talks of decay and memory. While everything else might succumb with time, art remains - art alone can last forever. The speaker is talking of the statue of an ancient king in a desert. The power that king once had is gone. His cities, his subjects, his gold, all of it is gone. There is nothing left to remind us of the greatness he once had. The only thing left is the statue itself - the artistic representation of what that king once was. The memory of the king was able to "survive, stamped on these lifeless things".