"Ozymandias"

In the short poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley, the speaker begins right away with proving nothing lasts. "I met a traveler from an antique land." (Percy Bysshe Shelley 721) This quote right away is saying that even the land is getting old. Everything in life that is born or created eventually gets old and dies. The speaker goes on to tell about a statue found decaying in the sand once again an image that nothing will last forever. The various speakers in the poem are used to help readers better understand that even the best things in life don't stay good forever. They eventually become old and useless. The statues words seem to be what outlasted other things in the poem. "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" (Shelley 721) The speaker is trying to show that even though the statue itself is "lifeless", the words have outlasted the statue. The speaker seems to be trying to show the reader that yes, certain things do outlast others, but in the end, everything will die.