Which technique is used in the quotation, "Look on my works, Ye Mighty, and despair!"?

The technique used in the quotation, "Look on my works, Ye Mighty, and despair!" is called apostrophe.

Step 1: Identify the technique Apostrophe is a figure of speech in which the speaker directly addresses someone (or something) that is not present or cannot respond in reality. It's often used to provide emotional intensity or dramatic effect.

Step 2: Apply the technique to the quotation In the given quotation, the speaker (a ruined statue in Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "Ozymandias") is addressing "Ye Mighty" - presumably powerful rulers or entities. However, these entities are not present and cannot respond, fitting the definition of apostrophe.

Step 3: Understand the effect of the technique The use of apostrophe here serves to highlight the irony and hubris of the statue's original message. Despite its grand command to "look on my works...and despair", the statue is now ruined and forgotten, its "works" lost to time. This creates a dramatic and poignant effect.