Who was Ozymandias What does he stand for in the poem In Percy Bysshe Shelley s - poem Ozymandias we learn about a king who once had great power but is now forgotten Ozymandias was a real king in ancient Egypt He is known for his pride and strong rule In the poem however he stands for the idea that no matter how powerful someone is time will eventually destroy everything they built The poem begins with a traveler describing a ruined statue in the desert The statue shows Ozymandias as a mighty king with a proud face The inscription on the statue reads Look on my Works ye Mighty and despair Ozymandias believed that his works and his empire would last forever He thought that no one could match his power But now all that remains of him are broken pieces of the statue scattered in the desert The