What Role Did Diomedes Play In The Iliad

Diomedes played a significant role in the Iliad, by being a brave warrior for the Greeks and by being gifted the ability to see the difference between gods and normal people. Diomedes played a major role during the war since he was one of the strongest Greek warriors. He was fearless and able to take down many Trojans by himself.
Diomedes, a Greek hero, was the son of mortals Tydeus and Deipyle. According to Micha F. Lindmans, “Diomedes was the favorite of Athena and was always under her protection. He succeeded his grandfather Adrastus as the King of Argos and would end up joining the Greeks in the war against the Trojans. After a long time of being away in war, Diomedes accompanied Odysseus to find the Palladium, which in some books says

he took with him back to Argos, but other stories say Aeneas took it. Once returned to Argos, Diomedes learned his wife was unfaithful to him, part of his punishment from Aphrodite. He left Argos because of this and after many years he ended up in Southern Italy where he founded a few cities” (Lindmans). Diomedes spent most of his life in battle, so he was never able to start a family. He had no kids so his legacy did not live on. Diomedes was able to be one of the greatest Greek warriors and also discovered many cities that exist in modern Italy to this day.
In the Iliad, Diomedes played a major role in the Greek war battling alongside Ajax. Ajax and Diomedes were considered two of the greatest champions in the Greek army. According to the overview of the Iliad, “in Book Five, Diomedes sweeps across the battlefield, killing and wounding Trojans by the dozen” (Artemis). This excerpt indicated just how powerful a warrior Diomedes was. One of the intriguing moments in the Iliad occurred when Diomedes speared Aphrodite in the wrist when she tried to save her son Aeneas from being killed.
“When he met her, great-hearted Tydeus’ son
charged, lunging with his sharp spear at Aphrodite.
His weapon wounded her slim wrist, piercing the skin
above her hand, right through her godlike robe,
a garment the Graces had made for her themselves.*
Immortal divine fluid then flowed out, ichor,
which circulates only in the blessed gods.” (5, 396-402).
Aeneas ends up being saved by Apollo after Aphrodite was injured. Diomedes was the main focus of books five and six where he was seen as an amazing leader and warrior fighting against the Trojans. He was the next best warrior that the Greeks had besides Achilles.
Diomedes was a major character in books five and six of the Iliad. He played a significant role in the Iliad when his actions toward Aphrodite caused Zeus to command the gods to stay out of the war until Achilles would have glory. He was a fearless soldier for the Greeks and was given the ability to see the difference between mortals and gods. Diomedes was used as an example to illustrate how two people could not kill each other if they were considered family. This was evident when he and Glaukos were about to fight and then realized they were family. Instead of fighting, Diomedes and Glaukos exchanged armor with each other as a sign of respect. Diomedes was able to influence other characters because he was able to inspire people to be brave soldiers when he lead them into battle. His contribution to the war caused the Trojans to lose momentum during the battles when the gods were able to assist both sides.