In the poem "ozymandias" by percy bysshe shelly, how are the words on the pedestal of ozymandias's statue ironic? explain too : )

I believe the correct answer is: the words are ironic as  the state of affairs is contrary to what one expects from reading them – there is nothing of Ozymandis’ might, just lone and level sands that starch far away. 

     The words on the pedestal of the Ozymandis’ statue in Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem “Oyzmandis” are:

“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

     To explain the irony of the words on the pedestal od Ozymandis’ statue, the best definition (use) is that it represents the “state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often wryly amusing as a result.”

     The irony of the words on the pedestal is achieved by lines that follow:

“Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

     These lines represent that state of affairs is contrary to what one expects – there is nothing of Ozymandis’ might, just lone and level sands that starch far away. Shelly used irony to emphasize the king’s pretentious to greatness and to show their inevitable decline.

In the poem "Ozymandias," the author tells us of a traveller who was crossing a desert, when he suddenly came upon a buried statue.

The words that appeared in the statue were:

"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

The words indicate that the statue was of the great Ozymandias, an Egyptian king (Ramesses II). The inscription also tells us that all the wonderful works that surround the statue are evidence of the king's power and importance. However, as the speaker looks around, he finds that there is nothing but sand, and even the statue is a wreck.

The words are ironic because the claim that they express (the works of Ozymandias are amazing and breathtaking) is the exact opposite of the real situation (there are no works left).

the eye wink at the hand; yet let that be / which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.