What do the words on the pedestal signify in Ozymandias In the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley - the words on the pedestal are very important They show the pride and power of a king named Ozymandias The inscription reads My name is Ozymandias King of Kings Look on my Works ye Mighty and despair At first these words seem to show the king s confidence He believes he is the greatest king ever He wants everyone to admire his achievements The words King of Kings mean he thinks he is more powerful than anyone else He challenges other mighty people to look at his great works and feel hopeless because they will never achieve what he did This shows his arrogance However there is a twist in the poem The king s works no longer exist All that remains is a broken statue in the desert The words