Sisyphean Task
An endlessly repetitive and futile task, from King Sisyphus who must roll a boulder uphill for eternity.
The Meaning of Sisyphean Task
Sisyphus, king of Corinth, was the craftiest mortal who ever lived. He cheated death twice: first by chaining Thanatos himself, then by tricking Persephone into letting him return to the living world. When he finally died for good, Zeus devised a punishment perfectly suited to his arrogance. Sisyphus must roll an enormous boulder up a steep hill in the underworld. Each time he nears the summit, straining with every muscle, the boulder slips from his grasp and tumbles back to the bottom. He must walk down and begin again, for eternity, never completing his task. Albert Camus made Sisyphus the centrepiece of his 1942 philosophical essay "The Myth of Sisyphus," arguing that we must imagine Sisyphus happy — that the struggle itself gives life meaning. The English adjective "Sisyphean" describes any task that is endlessly repetitive and ultimately fruitless.
Children
Glaucus, Sinon
Symbols
Fun Fact
Camus' 1942 essay turned Sisyphus from a cautionary tale into a philosophical hero — the patron saint of persistence in the face of absurdity.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Herculean Task
💭 conceptExtreme difficulty, superhuman effort
A task requiring enormous strength or effort, from the twelve labours imposed on Heracles by King Eurystheus.
Herculean
💭 conceptLanguage and effort
An English adjective meaning requiring enormous strength or effort, derived from Hercules, the Roman name for the Greek hero Heracles who performed twelve seemingly impossible labours
The Twelve Labours
💭 conceptHeroism, endurance, redemption
Twelve impossible tasks imposed on Heracles by King Eurystheus as penance for killing his own family in a madness sent by Hera.
Twelve Labours of Heracles
💭 conceptNarrative
The twelve impossible tasks imposed upon Heracles as penance for killing his family in a divine madness
Promethean
💭 conceptLanguage and ambition
An English adjective meaning daringly creative, rebellious, or boldly innovative, derived from the Titan Prometheus who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity
Sisyphus
🗡 heroKing condemned to roll a boulder eternally
Sisyphus was the craftiest mortal who ever lived — he cheated Death twice before Zeus condemned him to push a boulder uphill for eternity.
Sisyphus
🗡 heropunishment
Cleverest of mortals who cheated death twice and was condemned to push a boulder uphill in Tartarus forever.
Sisyphus
🗡 heroKing condemned to roll a boulder forever
The cunning king of Corinth who cheated death twice, only to be condemned to an eternity of futile labor in Tartarus — forever rolling a boulder uphill only to watch it roll back down.
Tantalize
💭 conceptTemptation, frustration, torment by proximity
To torment with something desired but just out of reach, from King Tantalus and his eternal punishment.
Iliad
💭 conceptLiterature
Homer's epic poem recounting the wrath of Achilles during the final year of the Trojan War
Heroic Ideal
💭 conceptEthics
The Greek conception of the exemplary human who transcends ordinary limits through excellence and suffering
Ponos
⚡ godToil, hard labour, suffering
The daimon of hard labour and the wearying toil that consumes mortal existence