Leo Rex: Epic part II

lacrimae rerum, the tears of things. This feature of the epic is meant to show the serious, and tragic truth of our mortal lives. Though there are many tragedies in the Iliad, one could take the death of Hector as "the" tragedy; "the" lacrimae rerum. For he had a son and a wife but left his walls of stone to defend them both. He fought valiantly and drove back the forces of the Greeks, even to their ships until he was cut down by the famed Achilles.


This same idea is pristinely played out in the murder of Mufasa and the finding of his corpse by Simba. This shows not just a sad scene but in many ways an unthinkable scene; an unnatural scene. This also leads to the even more tragic shame thrust upon the young Simba. The false shame that he is responsible for his father's death, a gentle reference to the Greek horror of patricide which has been played out in the Orestia.

Another requirement for an epic is that the story concerns "the fate of a nation or people". (epic terms here)

With Scar ruling over the kingdom drought, famine, corruption and certain destruction have come. The only one who can save the day is Simba. This is not simply because he is the only one strong enough to face Scar, but because it is "right". It is part of this natural theme of the "Circle of Life". No one else can defeat Scar, though others could kill him. For, to defeat him, you must be able to restore what he has cut down. This, Simba alone can do.

An epic, unless defined differently, is not about John Doe getting a paper-cut. It has to be about something serious, like Joe Schmo getting a paper-cut... or about the life or death of an entire people. This quality is aptly met in the Lion King. 

With Scar ruling over the kingdom drought, famine, corruption and certain destruction have come. The only one who can save the day is Simba. This is not simply because Simba is the only one strong enough to face Scar, but because it is "right" for him to do so. It is part of this natural theme of the "Circle of Life". No one else can defeat Scar, though others could kill him. For, to defeat him, you must be able to restore what he has cut down. To resolve the lacrimae rerum by restoring a rightful king to Pride Rock and freeing Simba of the wrongfully felt shame. Simba alone can resolve these things.