The Ides of March, March 15, was a day made famous by William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, wherein the Roman leader was assassinated by conspirators fearful of his increasing power. This drama and the story upon which it is based is known, or used to be known, by high school students in English speaking countries. Here in the United States, unfortunately, the study of the classics in many public schools have been eliminated in favor of more so-called “relevant” subjects, much to the detriment of a meaningful education.
Shakespeare obtained the story of Caesar’s assassination from the writings of the Roman historian Plutarch (c.46 – c.120). During his lifetime, Plutarch wrote biographies of many of the prominent Greeks and Romans from the Greco-Roman classical world, including several legendary persons like Theseus and Romulus. While the Bard employed quite a bit of dramatic license, the basic facts of Caesar’s assassination and the aftermath have never been questioned by later historians.
According to Plutarch, and featured in Shakespeare’s play, a soothsayer previously sought to warn him of the impending coup and repeated the warning on the morning of that day. Shakespeare related the soothsayer’s warning as “Beware of the Ides of March” often used, but not taken seriously, by some contemporary politicians and others.
Note: For more on this topic, please see https://bobreagan13.com/2012/03/15/cave-caesar/
