Meaning of the Epic

Finally we come to an end of the Iliad. Many events have already been foreshadowed to happen. Troy will burn, giving the Greeks the victory, and Achilles will die in battle. I notice an interesting motif within the opening and closing of the epic. In the beginning, we are introduced to a theme of rage. The entire story of Achilles concerns with his build-up of rage over the loss of Patroclus, and his return to battle to exact revenge. When the epic ends, the scene is more compassionate and the motif is lamentation. So, I come up with the question, ‘is this what the epic is suggesting; the idea of rage leading to lamentation? According to what scholars define as an epic poem, epics ought to illustrate a moral lesson for a targeted audience, or provide metonymies to illustrate a fullness of culture. Perhaps the epic is intended to give the Greek account of the Trojan War, utilizing the character Achilles as a national hero or legend. Achilles is used to portray the emotions of rage and the subsequent lamentation and destruction it can create. I believe this can teach or show the readers a moral example of the consequences of rash human decisions. Beyond that it simply showcases the atrocities of war, to demonstrate how brutal humans can be without their mental reasoning. The Iliad is a very compelling story that offers more and more insight as one analyzes the text, making this truly deserving of the epic genre.