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Why was "Ozymandias" written?

Shelley wrote "Ozymandias" for several reasons. First, the poem was inspired by the arrival in England of a portion of a statue of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II. Shelley wanted to commemorate that event and was spurred on as well by a friendly rivalry with the poet Horace Smith. Smith also wrote a poem about the statue at the same time as Shelley, and he also called it "Ozymandias." 


As a radical who had supported the French Revolution, Shelley used the poem as a commentary on tyranny. In the poem, Ozymandias understands himself as as invincible tyrant, and imagines all who see his mighty kingdom and mighty statue tremble with fear. However, Shelley ironically shows the statue as a wrecked ruin strewn across an empty desert. Ozymandias' once powerful kingdom has disappeared. The statue's inscription--'Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'--thus has a double meaning. Seeing now the ruin of Ozymandias' works, the "mighty" might despair by realizing even the most powerful tyrannies become nothing. 

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