Sisyphus
Ancient Greek mythology
Greek mythological figure condemned by the gods to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity, only for it to roll back down before reaching the top. Featured in Homer's Odyssey (Book 11) among the punished souls of the underworld.
Connection to Taylor Swift
Invoked in So Long, London via 'my spine split from carrying us up the hill', the speaker's one-sided labour in a failing relationship rendered as Sisyphean futility. The figure's image of doomed, repeated effort scales as a recurring motif for Taylor's catalogue treatment of asymmetric devotion.
Notable Works
- Featured in Homer's Odyssey, Book 11; later treatments by Albert Camus (The Myth of Sisyphus, 1942)
Appears in the Archive
Context within the Archive
The Odyssey
“My spine split from carrying us up the hill”
Angela & Uncle Jerry identify a possible Sisyphean reference in the image of carrying something up a hill. Uncle Jerry explains the myth of Sisyphus from the Odyssey, one of two Titans punished in Hades whose task is to roll a stone up a hill, with the promise of freedom if he reaches the top, but the stone grows larger and rolls back down before he can succeed. Angela initially recalls the image of someone carrying something heavy that breaks their spine, and Uncle Jerry identifies it as Sisyphus. They agree this may be a Sisyphean reference, the futile, endless labor of maintaining the relationship.