Ozymandias

In Percy Shelly's "Ozymandias," the fear and awe of the power of time is thoroughly expressed. From the language syntax and diction, the theme of time is effectively espoused to the audience. The punctuation of the poem is an element that really stand out because there are only 3 periods in the entire 14 line poem.  The sentences are very prolonged and almost run on like, which further expresses the theme of time. The slowness of the poem is juxtaposed by the line "Nothing besides remain" (line 12). This is the only sentence in the poem that is succinct and to the point. Aside from the way the poem is formatted and the syntax, the theme is further strengthened by the word choice and content of the poem. The poem states that time can break down even the most powerful.