The Ides of March – What Does It Mean?
In this post, we look at the Ides of March. What does it mean and when was it used?
The Ides of March – What Does It Mean?
The Ides of March was the usual way of saying ’15 March’ in Roman times. The idea of the Ides being dangerous was created by Shakespeare. Each month has an Ides (often the 15th) and this date was not associated with death or foreboding before The Tragedy of Julius Caesar was written.
What Are The Ides?
The months of the Roman calendar were arranged around three named days – the Kalends, the Nones and the Ides. Other days were calculated around these reference points:
- Kalends (1st day of the month).
- Nones (the 7th day in March, May, July, and October; the 5th in the other months).
- Ides (the 15th day in March, May, July, and October; the 13th in the other months).
The Ides is also a day marked by several religious observances and was notable for the Romans as a deadline for settling debts.
In The Play
In William Shakespeare‘s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
, written in 1599, ‘Beware the Ides of March’ is the soothsayer’s message to Julius Caesar, warning him of his death on 15 March 44 BC. In Act I, Scene 2 of Shakespeare’s, a soothsayer warns Caesar to take heed of the 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.
Caesar dismisses him, saying: ‘He is a dreamer; let us leave him: pass.’ The interchange indicates Caesar’s arrogance, the tragic flaw that leads to his betrayal and death.
Later in the scene, Caesar is assassinated by a group of nobles on the Ides of March. As Brutus delivers the final blow, Caesar replies with the famous line, ‘Et tu, Brute? (Latin: ‘You too, Brutus?’). It is spoken by Julius Caesar to his friend Brutus at the moment of his assassination. The phrase is often used to show an unexpected betrayal by a friend.
Source for earrings: Jezebel Charms
by Amanda Patterson
If you want to learn more about William Shakespeare, read these:
- International Day of the Book – 23 April – William Shakespeare’s Birthday
- Eight Phrases We Owe to William Shakespeare
- Words Shakespeare Invented
- Shakespearean Insult Kit
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