Those of you who are familiar with William Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar," will know what happened on the Ides of March and why it is a day to be careful.
The meaning of the Ides of March
The Ides of March is a day on the Roman calendar that corresponds to March 15. It was marked by several religious observances, and became notorious as the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE.
Julius Caesar was stabbed to death at a meeting of the senate. As many as 60 conspirators, led by Brutus and Cassius, were involved in the plot to assassinate Caesar.
Caesar was warned by a soothsayer to "beware the Ides of March."
The seer had warned Caesar that harm would come to him no later than the Ides of March. On his way to the Theatre of Pompey, Caesar passed the seer and joked, "The ides of March have come," meaning to say that the prophecy had not been fulfilled, to which the seer replied "Aye, Caesar; but not gone."
Caesar had been warned not to go to the play, but he went anyway. Not only that, but Caesar joked with the soothsayer saying his prophetic warning couldn't be true because it was already the Ides of March, and he was still alive.
Caesar should have listened to the warning. The Ides of March now signifies a fateful day.
Even today, the Ides of March is still recognized because of that warning.
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