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Sisyphus

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Cunning king of Corinth condemned in Hades to eternally roll a boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, as punishment for his chronic deceitfulness and hubris.

Detailed Definition
Sisyphus, punished for deceit and hubris, endlessly pushes a boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down. His myth epitomizes futile labor and existential absurdity. In poetry, Sisyphus symbolizes perseverance in the face of meaningless struggle and the human condition’s inherent futility.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Homer’s "Odyssey," Sisyphus is punished in Hades for deceit, forever rolling a boulder uphill; In Virgil’s "Aeneid," Sisyphus’s futile labor symbolizes eternal frustration; In Albert Camus’s philosophical essay (echoed in poetic form by others), Sisyphus embodies absurd heroism; In W.H. Auden’s “The Age of Anxiety,” Sisyphus represents modern toil without meaning; In Tracy K. Smith’s “Watershed,” Sisyphus’s rock echoes in systemic struggle; In modern poetry, Sisyphus often signifies perseverance despite futility.
Additional Notes
Sisyphus, condemned by the gods to eternally roll a boulder uphill only for it to fall back, symbolizes futile labor, existential absurdity, and resilience; poets from Camus (who called him the “absurd hero”) to contemporary writers use him to explore perseverance without hope—his myth resonates in poems about routine, systemic oppression, or the human condition.
Other Meanings of “Sisyphus”
Also Known As
Eternal Toiler Boulder-Bearer King of Corinth
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