Our lives become our lives alone, not dictated by any outside force. All at once the universe is quieted, the gods that might wish to control us cease to exist. Our lives become a constant revolt against the meaninglessness of the universe and we can finally live freely. ( Public Domain )īy accepting the absurd we can likewise accept the fact that life is meaningless, and it is at this time that we are capable of living fully. And yet it is in this moment of self-reflection that we are happiest. It is at this moment that he reflects on his punishment, much like the human being must become conscious of the absurd predicament of life. Camus tells us that as the boulder rolls back down the hill, Sisyphus must slowly descend to retrieve the rock to repeat his punishment. "There is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn." -Albert Camus (The Myth of Sisyphus)ĭespite how it may appear, and this is the important part, The Myth of Sisyphus is not the musings of a mad man bent on self-destruction. He explains that we can either ignore the absurd, continue to search for meaning in vain, or reject the absurd and rebel against the purposelessness of the universe. Struggling to find meaning in a universe devoid of any is at the heart of the human condition, a condition that tortures us the more we fight against it.Ĭamus writes that he is not so interested in the observation of the absurd, but rather the consequences of realizing it. This search for purpose is in direct conflict with the apparent purposelessness of the universe. In The Myth Of Sisyphus, his first essay published in 1942, Camus uses the myth as a cornerstone on which to build his unique school of existential thought, known as Absurdism.Ībsurdism teaches that human beings struggle with an internal, never ending quest for purpose and fulfillment in life. It is not hard to see how Algerian author and philosopher Albert Camus would find inspiration for his philosophy of Absurdism from the myth of Sisyphus. Persephone supervising Sisyphus in the Underworld, Attica black-figure amphora (vase), c. 530 BC, Staatliche Antikensammlungen. And there his boulder is waiting for him. It is only after Hermes swiftly captures the newly freed man, does Sisyphus return to the land of the dead. He wishes to stay and so betrays Hades by refusing to return. He learns to love the trees, the cool oceans, and the feel of warm stone under his feet. It doesn't make sense, I know, but stick with me on this one.Īfter Sisyphus returns to the mortal world he quickly decides that he does not wish to return to the underworld. It would seem that Sisyphus' wife is truly the tragic hero in this story, having followed her husband’s request she is promptly confronted with a newly resurrected Sisyphus who scolds her for only doing as he asked. The Hell of Tartarus, Ancient Greek Prison of the Damned.
Crime and Punishment: Eternal Damnations as handed down by the Ancient Greek Gods.Sisyphus: King Cheats Death, Annoys Zeus, and Receives Never-ending Punishment in the Greek Underworld.Sisyphus is deeply troubled and (for reasons I don't understand personally) asks Hades to return him to the world of the living so that he might scold his wife. Sisyphus is angered that his wife would choose strict obedience to his word, rather than devoted love to his memory and dignity. When Sisyphus dies he wakes up in the underworld only to find that his wife has indeed fulfilled his request. The one that Albert Camus seems to favor in his essay The Myth of Sisyphus, involves Sisyphus testing his wife's devotion and love as he nears death.Īccording to the story, Sisyphus asks his wife that, upon his death, she cast his unburied body into the town square. What did Sisyphus do to anger the gods? There are several different accounts. ( Public Domain ) How did Sisyphus Anger the Gods? It is said that Sisyphus would be forced to endure this for all of time, performing a pointless, tired task until the end of existence. Sisyphus would then make his tired march down the hill where he would start this task over again. When Sisyphus reached the top of the mountain, the boulder would immediately roll back down the hill in a matter of moments. He was taken to the kingdom of the underworld and was forced to endure one of the most pointless and excruciating punishments of ancient mythology.Įvery day, he would carry a massive boulder up a mountain, straining and sweating all the while. Nonetheless he would fall out of favor with the gods of ancient Greece. The legend of Sisyphus begins with a man who, if we are to believe Homer, was one of the wisest and most prudent of mortals.
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