Sisyphus in the context of "Eurydice (Greek myth)"

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⭐ Core Definition: Sisyphus

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus or Sisyphos (/ˈsɪsɪfəs/ ; Ancient Greek: Σίσυφος, romanizedSísyphos) is the founder and king of Ephyra (now known as Corinth). He reveals Zeus's abduction of Aegina to the river god Asopus, thereby incurring Zeus's wrath. His subsequent cheating of death earns him eternal punishment in the underworld, once he dies of old age. The gods forced him to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down every time it neared the top, repeating this action for eternity. Through the classical influence on contemporary culture, tasks that are both laborious and futile are therefore described as Sisyphean (/sɪsɪˈfən/).

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Sisyphus in the context of Aeolus (son of Hellen)

In Greek mythology, Aeolus or Aiolos (/ˈələs/; Ancient Greek: Αἴολος [ǎi̯.olos]; Modern Greek: Αίολος [ˈe.olos] ) was the son of Hellen, the ruler of Aeolia (later called Thessaly), and the eponym of the Aeolians, one of the four main tribes of the Greeks. According to the mythographer Apollodorus, Aeolus was the father of seven sons: Cretheus, Sisyphus, Athamas, Salmoneus, Deion, Magnes, Perieres, and five daughters: Canace, Alcyone, Pisidice, Calyce, and Perimede. He was said to have killed his daughter Canace (or forced her to kill herself) because she had committed incest with her brother Macareus. This Aeolus was sometimes confused with the Aeolus who was the ruler of the winds.

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Sisyphus in the context of Tartarus

In Greek mythology, Tartarus (/ˈtɑːrtərəs/; Ancient Greek: Τάρταρος, romanizedTártaros) is the deep abyss that is used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked and as the prison for the Titans. Tartarus is the place where, according to Plato's Gorgias (c. 400 BC), souls are judged after death and where the wicked received divine punishment. Tartarus appears in early Greek cosmology, such as in Hesiod's Theogony, where the personified Tartarus is described as one of the earliest beings to exist, alongside Chaos and Gaia (Earth).

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Sisyphus in the context of The Myth of Sisyphus

The Myth of Sisyphus (French: Le mythe de Sisyphe) is a 1942 philosophical work by Albert Camus. Influenced by philosophers such as Søren Kierkegaard, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Friedrich Nietzsche, Camus introduces his philosophy of the absurd. The absurd lies in the juxtaposition between the fundamental human need to attribute meaning to life and the "unreasonable silence" of the universe in response. Camus claims that the realization of the absurd does not justify suicide, and instead requires "revolt". He then outlines several approaches to the absurd life. In the final chapter, Camus compares the absurdity of man's life with the situation of Sisyphus, a figure of Greek mythology who was condemned to repeat forever the same meaningless task of pushing a boulder up a mountain, only to see it roll down again just as it nears the top. The essay concludes, "The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy."

The work can be seen in relation to other absurdist works by Camus: the novel The Stranger (1942), the plays The Misunderstanding (1942) and Caligula (1944), and especially the essay The Rebel (1951).

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Sisyphus in the context of Deioneus

In Greek mythology, Deioneus (/dˈnəs/; Ancient Greek: Δηιονεύς means "ravager") or Deion (/ˈd.ɒn/; Ancient Greek: Δηίων) is a name attributed to the following individuals:

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Sisyphus in the context of Pisidice

In Greek mythology, Pisidice (/pˈsɪdɪs/, Ancient Greek: Πεισιδίκη, Peisidíkē, "to convince or persuade") or Peisidice was one of the following individuals:

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Sisyphus in the context of Calyce (mythology)

In Greek mythology, Calyce (Ancient Greek: Καλύκη Kalyke) or Calycia is the name of several characters.

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Sisyphus in the context of Perimede (mythology)

In Greek mythology, the name Perimede (/ˌpɛrɪˈmdi/; Ancient Greek: Περιμήδη "very cunning" or "cunning all round", derived from peri "round" and medea, "cunning" or "craft') refers to:

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Sisyphus in the context of Proetus

In Greek mythology, Proetus (/ˈprtəs/; Ancient Greek: Προῖτος Proitos) may refer to the following personages:

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