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1. Briefly summarize the action of the poem.

An unnamed speaker relates a story told to him by a traveler. The traveler saw the ruins of an enormous statue in the desert. On the statue was an inscription in the voice of Ozymandias, the subject of the statue. This inscription boasted to other kings that when they looked around at all of Ozymandias's works, they would feel despair--but there was nothing around the statue except sand.

2. Describe the poem's form.

"Ozymandias" is a Petrarchan sonnet, with an octave and a sestet. But it has an atypical rhyme scheme and departs from iambic pentameter several times.

3. Identify the three voices heard in "Ozymandias."

The poem opens with a brief introductory statement from an unknown speaker. Then the traveler speaks for the remainder of the poem. Inside of the traveler's quote is another quote, though, from Ozymandias himself.

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