Shelley asserts more than a critique of the tyrant

In his poem “Ozymandias” Shelley explores the limits of the individual’s significance, regardless of accomplishment, in the face of everlasting time. Within this exploration, he critiques the “Napoleonic” type of dictator, asserting a greater power above mankind in the immortal, unforgiving quality of nature. He illustrates nature as a means to dwarf the accomplishments of the artist as well as the tyrant however, a realization that more than likely chilled him as deeply as it might have for the great “Ozymandias”.
“Half sunk, a shattered visage (face) lies, whose frown,/ and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,” (4-5), Shelley’s description of the remains of a massive statue of Ozymandias demonstrates the power of passing time to make even the greatest men insignificant. By using the decayed statue of Ozymandias, a presumably tyrannical ruler, Shelley also critiques the tyrants of his era, demonstrating that their power-thirsty actions will ultimately fail to matter. Written in 1818, after the second defeat and subsequent exile of Napoleon, the poem indirectly addresses the former tyrant of Europe.
Shelley adds a greater power to his poem by suggesting more than a critique of tyranny. After describing the wreckage of the statue of Ozymandias, he mentions the artist, or “sculptor” who created the work of art. The sculptor’s art, as well as the memory of Ozymandias, is similarly lost in the vastness of time and constant turbulence of nature, illustrated by the destructive sands of the desert.
“The lone and level sands stretch far away.” (14), Shelley finishes the poem by asserting a loneliness to accompany what will be ultimately lost. All accomplishments, whether authored by those good or those evil, face the equal certainty of crumbling into the endless desert. Shelley’s poem thus lends its message beyond the Napoleons, and the artists of the world to the broader human race.