Ozymandias

The poem is consistent to a single metaphor: the shattered, ruined statue in the desert wasteland. But another metaphor is “the heart that fed” (1720, 8). This expression seems to not make sense; Ozymandias’ heart “fed” (1720, 8) these passions? The heart seemed to be compared to a powerful figure and the passions seemed more like an animal to which the master throws some food. But I think the sense is more that Ozymandias’ heart fed on the passions. When you look at it like this, Ozymandias’ heart becomes a killer and the passions are its prey. It seems obvious then that the passions kept the heart alive and beating, the passions are sustenance to the heart. The passions don’t seem to be suggested to be bad, but Ozymandias’ feeding on these passions of greed, conceit and arrogance resulted in evil, the same evil we see on the statue’s face.

The ruler who once boa...