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Ides of March
Caesar:
Who is it in the press that calls on me?
I hear a tongue shriller than all the music
Cry "Caesar!" Speak, Caesar is turn'd to hear.
Soothsayer:
Beware the ides of March.
Caesar:
What man is that?
Brutus:
A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.
The Significance of the Ides of March
The significance of the
Ides of March is detailed in the history of
Julius Caesar
from the Life of Julius Caesar by Plutarch. The soothsayer
warns Caesar to beware the Ides of March but the warning is
ignored and on this day Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of conspirators,
including Brutus and Cassius.
History and Origin of the Ides of March
The history and origin of
the Ides of March relate to the way that Roman months were
divided.
The Roman months were divided into three parts called kalends, nones
and ides:The
Kalendae (Kalends) was the first day of the month, from which the
word "calendar" is derived *** The Nonae (Nones) - thought to
have originally been the day of the half moon *** The Idus (Ides) - thought to have originally been the day of the
full moon. The word ides comes from Latin, meaning
"half division" (of a month).
What Date was the Ides of March?
The date of the Ides of March
was the the fifteenth (15th). The day of the month that the
ides fell on was dependent on the complicated system of
calculation in the Julian calendar which Julius Caesar
himself established.
The Roman months were divided into three parts called kalends, nones
and ides. A table detailing the dates of the Kalends, Nones,
and Ides are detailed in the information provided in the
following articles:
Julian Calendar
Ides of March
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