Who wrote the poem "Ozymandias"?

• A. John Keats
• B. William Wordsworth
• C. Lord Byron
• D. Percy Shelley

Answer: (D)

Authorship of this famous Romantic-era sonnet is being tested. Ozymandias was written by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The poem, first published in 1818, tells of a traveler who describes a ruined statue in the desert, and the boastful inscription on the pedestal: “Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!” The sharp irony between the grand claim and the statue’s decay reflects Shelley's interest in the impermanence of power and the enduring power of art and imagination, a hallmark of his mature work. The other poets listed—Keats, Wordsworth, and Byron—each center their poetry on different themes and styles: Keats with lush sensuous imagery, Wordsworth with nature and memory, Byron with bold, dramatic, or satirical voices. Ozymandias fits Shelley’s voice and perspective best, making Percy Bysshe Shelley the author most closely associated with the poem.