What is the Ides of March? The history behind the date of doom
USA TODAY
March 15 once again marks the Ides of March, a date linked annually to doom and misfortune due to the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.E.
Amid St. Patrick's Day celebrations and the highly anticipated start of spring, March also features a more ominous day that comes coupled with a decades-old warning rooted in literature: "Beware the Ides of March."
The phrase dates back over 2,000 years and is associated with William Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar," in which a soothsayer delivers the infamous warning to the Roman emperor before his assassination. March 15, 44 B.C.E is believed to be the date on which Roman dictator Julius Caesar was killed and has since been linked to misfortune and betrayal, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
Shakespeare's dialogue further cemented the date in history. The writer relied heavily on the work of the Greek historian Plutarch to craft his play, and the real Caesar may have been given a similar warning before he was assassinated thousands of years ago.
"Julius Caesar" was one of Shakespeare's early tragedies, and the line would have resonated with those in his audience knowledgeable about the history of the Roman Empire, according to Eric Rasmussen, a Shakespeare scholar and an English professor at the University of Nevada, Reno.
"The entire audience would know that, oh yeah, the 15th of March, that's going to be the day that he's assassinated," Rasmussen previously told USA TODAY.
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