Sisyphus: A Greek Hero

520 Words3 Pages
Sisyphus is a character in Greek mythology who is said to be more famous for his afterlife than his actual one. There are a couple of stories on how this came to be. The first Zeus captured a mortal woman Aegina, she is the daughter of Asopus. Sisyphus had witnessed this kidnapping in Corinth, his home city. Sisyphus thought he would cash in on this. He told Asopus that he would tell him who took his daughter if he would give his city’s citadel a fresh water spring. When he made this deal he gained the wrath of the gods, but also happiness for his people. The other story is that Sisyphus had to put death in chains. During this time no human died. The gods “dispatched the god of war” to free death, naturally when released his first victim was…show more content…
The gods were wise, Camus suggests, in perceiving that an eternity of futile labor is a hideous punishment.” Why is this relevant to the main subject of the book? Camus says the Sisyphus is an absurd hero. He believes this because of his behavior on earth and his punishment in the underworld. He shows a hatred for death, but passion for life. Although what interests Camus the most, is his state of mind of Sisyphus when the rock is rolling back down the mountain. In this moment he is aware of the absurdity of his fate. His fate is tragic because he understands he has no hope. However his lucidity about his understanding places him above his fate. “One must imagine him happy”, why does Camus think this? Camus proposes that the way Sisyphus approaches his punishment might even bring his some pleasure. The sorrow only comes when he thinks about the life he left behind, or when he is wishing for hope. Yet when Sisyphus accepts his fate this sorrow vanishes. Camus believes that recognizing these terrible truths, like the eternity of his fate, make them less terrible. In this, happiness and absurd are closely linked. He believes they are connected because our world and fate, are our own. Life is only what we make of it. Camus believes Sisyphus is happy when he descends the mountain because he is completely aware of his

More about Sisyphus: A Greek Hero

Open Document