'What does the poet think about power who arrogantly
believe that they will be important forever?'
- Ozymandias

Answer + Explanation:  

Ozymandias’ power is presented as being dictatorial and cruel- this is clear in the description of his statue’s facial expression- “sneer of cold command” and implied through the inscription which appears on the statue’s pedestal: “king of kings: Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!” in which Ozymandias communicate his desire to be dominant over others and cause them reason to fear him. Shelley paints an unflattering picture of the pharaoh, perhaps to show his dislike for monarchs and rulers. This is proved further by his juxtaposed description of the statue as it is ‘now’- a “colossal wreck”, which is in “decay” and “shatter’d”. He emphasizes how the arrogant king’s masterpiece has not lived up to Ozymandias’ expectations. This contrasts with the images of art and nature, which he depicts as being superior and lasting through his description of the artists skills “which yet survive, stamp’d on these lifeless things,” and the unpretentious and neverending landscape “boundless and bare, the lone and level sands stretch far away.”