The last three books of The Iliad provide three different endings, but together they work to present a more encompassing conclusion than any one of these books provides alone. Book XXII and XXIV discuss the events of Hector's death and burial emphasized by Achilles actions, while Book XXIII provides a transition between the two. Together, these books emphasize the dilution of Achilles rage as is contrasted by the fall of Hector and the subsequent fall of Troy.

Book XXII of The Iliad is a crucial book to the final ending of the epic, as it signifies the fall of Hector and the eventual fall of Troy. This book alone ties together the culmination of Hector's fate and the melting of Achilles' brutal rage. In the battle between the two heroes, the fate had already been decided, for it was Hector who was "a harrowed, broken man marked out...