Sisyphus: Themes and Character Analysis

Read these sentences from Passage 1.

“. . . ‘My wife has not buried my body and has neglected to make the death offering. Let me go to her and remind the faithless one of her duty. Then I surely will return.’” (paragraph 1)

How does Sisyphus’s statement add irony to the passage?

• He is shaming her for neglect even though he abandoned her.

• He is asking to remind her even though he is the one who forgot.

• He is calling his wife faithless even though he is the deceitful one.

• He is speaking of duty even though he is avoiding his responsibility to her.

Which two universal themes are present in Passage 1?

• teamwork as salvation

• accountability for actions

• trickery as rebellious behavior

• change of fate as a result of devotion

• the emptiness of attaining an immoral goal

How are the universal themes in Part A related?

• They connect emotions to decisions.

• They link decisions to condemnation.

• They show the effects of achievement

• They demonstrate a method of achievement.

Read this sentence from Passage 1. “When Sisyphus saw the divine messenger, his courage gave way, for he knew that no mortal could outdo him in cunning.” (paragraph 2) How does this description create a hopeless mood?

• It shows that Sisyphus yields because he realizes his future is inescapable

• It reveals that Sisyphus relents because he has already proven his strength.

• It implies that Sisyphus resists because he knows the messenger is powerful.

• It shows that Sisyphus surrenders because he does not have time to make a plan.

Read the excerpt from Passage 2.

“I’ve watched thee, Scarab! Yea, an hour in vain I’ve watched thee, slowly toiling up the hill,” (lines 1–2)

What does the repetition in these lines reveal?

• the importance of the beetle’s work

• the speaker’s fascination with the beetle

• the attention that the beetle pays to its task

• the relationship of the speaker to the beetle

Read these lines from Passage 2.

“This self-same height? Accurséd progeny / Of Sisyphus, what antenatal crime” (lines 11–12)

The root word “ante” means “previous.” What does antenatal crime reference in these lines?

• the fault of those born over time

• the error of those born before us

• the offense of being born on time

• the injustice of being born too soon

. Passage 2 offers an alternative interpretation of Sisyphus’s struggle from Passage 1. How does this reinterpretation affect the meaning of Passage 2?

• It affirms how important the struggle is.

• It reveals the difficulty of the experience.

• It exposes the insignificance of the struggle.

• It highlights that the experience is universal.

How does stanza 2 of Passage 3 develop a different aspect of Sisyphus’s experience than the version in Passage 1?

• In Passage 3 he is continuing to fool the gods.

• In Passage 3 he is steadily improving at his task.

• In Passage 3 he is putting in more physical effort.

• In Passage 3 he is enjoying the happiness of the gods.

What does the word oblivion mean as it is used in line 34 of Passage 3?

• the state of being confused

• the state of being forgotten

• the shape and length of time

• the position and order of loss

What idea is left unclear in the final stanza of Passage 3?

• what consequence would truly punish Sisyphus

• what motivates Sisyphus to continue his deception

• whether Sisyphus truly suffered while doing his task

• whether Sisyphus brought about his own punishment for glory