Ozymandias Resources

Videos

"Ozymandias" Read Aloud
Ben Kingsley, a.k.a. the guy who played Gandhi in the movie of the same title, showing off his poetry-reading skills by reading "Ozymandias."

Audios

Description of the Statue
A brief history lesson about Ramses II and a description of the statue from the British Museum's website.

Images

The Statue that Inspired "Ozymandias."

The British Museum's page for the statue of Ramses II.

"Ozymandias" in Shelley's hand.

One of Shelley's manuscript copies of "Ozymandias," now located in the Bodleian Library in Oxford.

Percy Shelley

A portrait of Shelley.

Shelley's Grave

A picture of Shelley's gravestone from a great website about the burial places of poets.

Historical Documents

Diodorus Siculus, Historical Library
A description of the statue of Ramses II from the first century B.C. The inscription in Shelley's poem closely paraphrases what Diodorus tells us was written on the pedestal.

Websites

The History Channel's Page for Ramses II
A website full of all kinds of interesting information about Ramses II, like the fact that he had 170 offspring!