What is the moral or the lesson of "Ozymandias"?

A moral of a story or work of literature is a lesson that the reader can take away regarding what is right, prudent, or good. In Percy Bysshe Shelley's sonnet "Ozymandias," we can take several morals from the life of the ancient Egyptian ruler and his fallen statue.

First, every person leaves a legacy and will be remembered. We don't all have inscriptions that will remain for thousands of years, yet we all affect this world in one way or another. The moral we could take from this poem is that we should live in such a way that we will be remembered fondly as one who benefited others. This king wanted to be remembered as one who brought fear and dread to others. He is a negative example, and we should want to be remembered in the opposite way.

Second, the poem shows that life is fleeting and power is transitory. Ozymandias, at the height of his power, had a statue made of himself with an inscription that commanded respect and fear. But by the time the "traveller from an antique land" saw the statue, the king had been dead for centuries. His life and his power were dismantled long ago, as represented by the way the statue now lies a "colossal Wreck." No matter how great or powerful one thinks himself or herself to be, that power will fade, and life will end, so one should not be overcome with pride.

Third, the person who is being oppressed can take comfort in knowing that his oppressor will not thrive forever. Keeping in mind that a proud slave-driver will eventually be brought low may give his victims a big-picture view that can help them bear their injustice.

Fourth, tyrants will fall. This was a concept dear to the author's heart because he was someone who yearned for a more equitable society. From the point of view of a citizen of 19th-century England, the fallen statue and terminated kingdom of Ozymandias could show that times were improving and that those current leaders who had a "hand that mocked them and [a] heart that fed" would also be overthrown. This moral states that the oppressor should beware his coming doom.

These are some possible morals from Shelley's 14-line poem about Ozymandias.