The Iliad: Closure

The Iliad opens with the Rage of Achilles, it does not however end in the same way. In the end we actually see Achilles attempting to control his anger, which he does successfully. " He feared that, overwhelmed by the sight of Hector, wild with grief, Priam might let his anger flare and Achilles might fly into fresh rage himself" (24.684-86). At the beginning of the epic Achilles let his anger control him and his actions, at the end Achilles has gained control of his emotions. A major attitude change has taken place in Achilles. Another somewhat smaller way the epic has been resolved is in the perspective. We opened seeing things through the eyes of the Acheans, and we end seeing things through the eyes of the Trojans. At the beginning we find out that the Acheans will win the war, and we end with the Trojans knowing that their doom is inevitable. It is, despite the circumstances, a good ending, an ending that gives you a sense of finality. Everything is going the way the gods said it would, and that's that.