The Only Use of
Sisyphus
in
Ulysses, by James Joyce
- STEPHEN: (Catches sight of Lynch's and Kitty's heads) Hail, Sisyphus.
Chpt 15Sisyphus = Greek mythology: a king in ancient Greece who offended Zeus and whose punishment was to roll a huge boulder to the top of a steep hill; each time the boulder neared the top it rolled back down and Sisyphus was forced to start again
Definitions:
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(1)
(Sisyphus) Greek mythology: a king in ancient Greece who offended Zeus and whose punishment was to roll a huge boulder to the top of a steep hill; each time the boulder neared the top it rolled back down and Sisyphus was forced to start againAs a result of the legend, the expression "Sisyphean task" refers to an endless, futile task.
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(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Less commonly, the phrase Sisyphus Triangle refers to a geographic region