In the poem Ozymandias, Percy Shelley exposes the futility of tyrannical power to launch an inadvertent critique of the power held by the Kings of England. Before even looking at the poem, the title must be looked at first. Shelley chooses the Greek version ‘Ozymandias’ over the traditional ‘Rameses II’. He does this to contrast the democratic liberty of ancient Greece with the unelected pharaoh-dom of Egypt. The poem is 14 lines long, making it a sonnet, but not the traditional kind, this sonnet reflects the narcissistic self-love of the pharaoh for himself and his ‘works’. In the poem, Shelley uses iambic pentameter to reflect the supposed strength and nobility of the pharaoh, however this is undermined by the irregular rhyme scheme, symbolic of the ‘shattered visage’. Shelley opens the poem with the line “I met a traveller from an antique land”. The use of a detached narrative distances Shelley from potentially treasonous opinions that will be revealed later. The word ‘antique’ could have positive connotations of a wondrous place steeped in history or negative connotations of being out-dated and boring. The line is also ironic as the ‘mighty works’ of a great pharaoh are subdued to being told by a random traveller. The face on the statue is depicted by Shelley as having a ‘sneer of cold command’. The word ‘sneer’ has negative connotations of classism and social hierarchy. The use of consonance in ‘cold command’ is reflective of the harsh rule of the pharaoh, which lacked empathy or the warmth of human kindness. Shelley also makes use of synaesthesia by blending an instruction and a feeling. On the pedestal it reads “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings, Look on my works ye mighty, and despair”. The use of the imperative verbs ‘look’ and ‘despair’ are symbolic of the pharaoh’s arrogance and abuse of power; this was fuelled by the Egyptian belief that pharaohs were gods and the fact that Rameses II lived until he 96, fathering over 150 children. The phrase ‘King of Kings’ comes into direct conflict with the description of Jesus in the Bible. Those in England who would’ve read the poem also would’ve been mostly Christian and picked up on this reference. By framing himself as ‘King of Kings’, he ridicules himself and ridicules his unfair dictatorship. At the end, Shelley mentions “Lone and level sands stretch far away”. The use of sibilance and liquid alliteration demonstrates the vast expanse of desert where “nothing beside remains”. This quote is deeply ironic as Rameses II built more monument and pyramids than any other pharaoh, yet now they are all gone, revealing the transience of tyrannical power. As a Romantic, Shelley demonstrates how the power of nature far prevails the power of man. Similarly, Browning uses the power of art not just to critique undeserving authority but a patriarchal society too. Similarly to Shelley, Browning uses iambic pentameter to demonstrate the stability and power of influential men. However, Browning uses the regular rhyme scheme of AABB to reinforce this for the Duke. Browning begins the poem with the line “That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall, looking as if she were alive”. This quote demonstrates the power that the Duke immediately takes ahold of in his monologue. The phrase ‘looking as if she were alive’ implies that the Duke is wealthy as he can afford a realistic painting; this is compounded when he mentions the name of “Fra Pandolf”. Later on, the Duke mentions that his last Duchess was “too soon made glad” implying that she wasn’t entirely interested in him. This is likely true as the poem is based off of real events where Lucrezia de Medici, the Duke’s wife was wed to him, not because she loved him but for monetary purposes and strengthening bonds between powerful families in Italy. Later on, the Duke begins to get angry when he says, “As if she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody’s gift”. This quote demonstrates the arrogance and pride of the Duke as he believed his name alone held significant worth. The fact that the Duke knows his name is nine hundred years old implies he’s a narcissist, who is obsessed with himself, similar to Ozymandias. Towards the end of the poem, the Duke says, “I gave commands, then all smiled stopped together”. This implies that the Duke may have ordered his Duchess’s murder, demonstrating the power that men held at the time. Browning and Shelley, use the ridiculousness of the leader’s beliefs to demonstrate the detrimental effects they cause. In addition, both poets use their poems as a mouthpiece for their views against the institution. In the case of Browning, it is to limit the power of wealthy men to stop their abuse of power and mistreatment of women. In the case of Shelley, it is to limit the power of the King of England to stop his abuse of power.