Power and Despair in OzymandiasDespair is one of the strongest emotions that Freud's id can produce. It is an uncontrollable feeling that leads even the most worthy and powerful men to emptiness and despair. In the 14-line poem “Ozymandias” by PB Shelley, Shelley chooses the best setting for utter despair over the use of a desert. Power and despair are strongly correlated in this poem as well as many others. In the immediate hypothesis that Ozymandias is the sculptor of the barren statues, we must understand that even kings cannot contain their passions and emotions. Ozymandias erected a statue of his plight where no one could see it and with no habitation for miles. By leaving these statues behind, the sculptor has the opportunity to reveal to others the underlying sadness of his soul. “[Read passions] Which nevertheless survive, imprinted on these lifeless things, The hand which mocked them”. Although the sculptor has left the mortal world, his soul remains visible to all passers-by. He/she attempts to force others into his/her realm of pain simply by seeing his/her creation. This poem wreaks havoc on the reader's mind who thinks of utter desolation. The statue is described as a “colossal, boundless, naked wreck,” drawing a parallel to the reason it was built. The condition of the stones, formulated in a delicate but descriptive manner by Shelley, only emphasizes the despair drawn in the stone by the sculptor's hand. Using words such as "frown", "sneer" and "mocked", the author paints a light portrait of the sculptor. This gives us the image of a powerful king with no incentive or reason to smile. The term "cold command" describes him as a militaristic leader who has experienced more death and destruction than an entire army and who has come to realize the true ways of the human race. The author's words "lifeless", "decay", and "wreck" apply not only to the statue the author describes but also to the sculptor of the statue.