The Myth of Sisyphus Character Analysis

Sisyphus

Though Sisyphus doesn’t make an appearance until the concluding chapter, he is a central character to the book and, of course, named in the title. He is a Greek mortal, known for his trickery and… read analysis of Sisyphus

Albert Camus

Camus is the author of The Myth of Sisyphus and most of the book is written directly from his perspective as an address to his reader. The book sets out his theory of the Absurd… read analysis of Albert Camus

Don Juan

Don Juan is Albert Camus’ first example of an “absurd man” (found in the chapter of the same name), by which he means someone who successfully lives with the absurd in full view (though any… read analysis of Don Juan

The Actor

Albert Camus holds up the actor-figure as another example of an “absurd man.” In essence, Camus is talking about stage actors rather than film. He sees the actor as an “absurd figure” because he acts… read analysis of The Actor

The Conqueror

The conqueror is Albert Camus’ third example of an “absurd man.” That said, he is not so much a conqueror as a general soldier/fighter—he engages in warfare but not necessarily in order to rule over… read analysis of The Conqueror

Kirilov

Kirilov is a character that Camus discusses in the ‘Absurd Creation’ chapter. He comes from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s book The Possessed (also translated as Demons or The Devils). Camus praises Dostoevksy for the character, who seems… read analysis of Kirilov

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Dostoevsky is a 19th Century Russian novelist, frequently cited as one of the greatest writers ever to have existed. Camus praises his ability to bring the absurd to life (in his novels) and show how… read analysis of Fyodor Dostoevsky

Soren Kierkegaard

Kierkegaard is a 19th century Danish philosopher and generally considered to be the father of the loose philosophical movement of existentialism. Camus praises him for having accurately described the absurd, but criticizes his “leap of… read analysis of Soren Kierkegaard

Minor Characters

Lev Chestov

Chestov (Shestov) is a 19th/20th century a Russian existentialist philosopher.

Karl Jaspers

Jaspers is a 19th/20th century Swiss-German philosopher who is loosely considered to be an existentialist (though he rejected the term himself).

Edmund Husserl

Husserl is a 19th/20th century German philosopher who founded the school of phenomenology, which is the study/philosophy of human experience and structures of consciousness in relation to the world and its objects and sensations.

Pluto

Pluto is the Latinized name of the classical god Hades and is the ruler of the underworld. Sisyphus angers him, most likely for putting Death in chains.

Mercury

Mercury is a Roman god, tasked by Pluto to retrieve Sisyphus from the earth and bring him back to the underworld.

Heidegger

A German philosopher who is generally considered to be one of the most important 20th century philosophers.

The Myth of Sisyphus Characters