I am glad to be saying goodbye to the long cold days of February and looking forward to the March winds. Here is an excerpt about the Ides of March, I'd like to share with you, it's interesting...
Beware the Ides of March!
The word ides comes from a Latin word that means "to divide." The ides is simply the middle of the month, but following Caesar's assassination it has always signaled danger...
What are the Ides of March and why should anyone ... 'beware the Ides of March'?
The warning was first given to the poweful ruler of the Roman Empire, Julius Caesar, who would eventually become far too powerful for the Roman Senate to handle.
So his enemies in the Senate felt they had no choice but to assassinate him.
The date they chose to murder Caesar was March 15th, the Ides of March.
Caesar gets a warning
According to the Roman historians, it was a soothsayer by name of Titus Vestricius Spurinna who warned Caesar ...“Beware the Ides of March.”
Caesar ignored the warning and met his fate.
Some historians think that the plot involved so many people that rumors had begun to circulate days before - so the fortune teller may have been relying on more than psychic powers when he warned Caesar about staying away from danger on the 15th of March.
Why the "Ides"?
The word ides comes from a Latin word that means to divide. The ides is simply the middle of the month, but from the time of Caesar's assassination it has always signaled ...danger.
In ancient Rome, every one of the months had an "ides." In March, May, July and October the ides fell on the 15th day, based on the lunar calendar used in Roman times.
A famous line
The infamous date might have been known only to historians had it not been for
William Shakespeare, who wrote the very popular play,
Julius Caesar, where in Act I, Scene II the famous line is quoted.
Today, audiences worldwide know that Caesar will die a horrible death because he is too proud to see the signs of impending doom and refuses to listen to good advice.
"Beware the Ides of March!!
