THE TRANSIENCE OF POWER AND HUMAN PRIDE IN PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY’S OZYMANDIAS: A LITERARY REFLECTION ON THE NATURE OF HUMAN EXISTENCE

Abstrak

Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem Ozymandias is not simply a story about an old statue in the desert it is a mirror that stares back at us humans thirsting for traces and fearing oblivion. This study reads Ozymandias as a meditation on the transience of power and human arrogance, as well as an invitation to reflect on the meaning of existence. Through a close reading of the text and a comparison with modern critical discourse, the study finds that Shelley writes with subtle irony. The king's claims of immortality turn into the silence of ruins, while language and art bear a meaning more enduring than worldly greatness. Using a qualitative descriptive approach focused on close reading and thematic analysis, this study explores how symbols, imagery, and irony work together to emphasize the existential idea that human endeavors to defy time ultimately reveal their own vulnerability. The results demonstrate two complementary principle first, that power and pride often lead to alienation and destruction second, that art and reflection can transform ruin into a source of wisdom. Through this interpretation, Ozymandias regains its relevance for today's readers it reminds us that a meaningful life is determined not by visible traces, but by a deep awareness of our limitations. This poem positions mortality not as a disability, but as a call to live more honestly and meaningfully.