"beware "ides "julius caesar caesar" conor_oberst fifteen fun history ides italy march march" of random research shakespeare the toga 15 2008
Ides of March
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For Thornton Wilder's novel of the same name, see Ides of March (novel).
The Ides of March (Latin: Idus Martias) is the name of the date March 15 in the Roman calendar. The term ides was used for the 15th day of the months of March, May, July, and October.[1] The Ides of March was a festive Day dedicated to the god Mars and a military parade was usually held. In modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date that Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. In William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, Caesar is warned to "beware the Ides of March."[2]
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[edit] Etymology
The term idūs (ides) originally referred to the day of the full moon. The Romans considered this an auspicious day in their calendar. The word ides comes from Latin, meaning "half division" (of a month) but is probably of non-Indo-European origin.[3]
[edit] Usage in modern popular culture
[edit] In music
| Band/Artist | Album | Song | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ides of March | – | – | |
| Thee Mighty Caesars | Beware the Ides of March | – | 1985 |
| Iron Maiden | Killers | "The Ides of March" | 1981 |
| Silverstein | Discovering the Waterfront | "Ides of March" | 2005 |
| Codeine | The White Birch | "Ides" | 1994 |
| Guns N' Roses | Chinese Democracy II | "Ides of March"[4] | TBA |
[edit] In print, film, television and theatre
- A paperback reprint of material from MAD Magazine, from the late 1950s, is titled The Ides of MAD.
- A 1970 Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch titled "Julius Caesar On an Aldis Lamp" had the seer sending the message "Beware the Ides of March" to Caesar using Morse code.
- An episode in the fourth season of Xena: Warrior Princess is titled "Ides of March", wherein Caesar is murdered.
- A social commentary play, written by Duncan Ley, was titled "The Ides of March" and premiered at The White Bear Theatre in London, UK, on 28 November 2008.
- Thornton Wilder's 1948 The Ides of March is an epistolary novel set in Rome at the time of Julius Caesar.
[edit] Observances
- The internet group Anonymous used the phrase "beware the Ides of March" when referring to its then-upcoming March 15th, 2008 mass protest against the Church of Scientology.
- The Ides of March are celebrated every year by the Rome Hash House Harriers with a toga run in the streets of Rome, in the same place where Julius Caesar was killed.
- The Atlanta Chapter of the Dagorhir Battle Games Association hosts an annual spring event at Red Horse Stables on the weekend closest to the 15th of March. The event is appropriately named "The Ides of March".
[edit] References
- ^ Merriam-Webster Dictionary, ides
- ^ William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene II
- ^ Webster's Third New International Dictionary (1986), Unabridged (Merriam-Webster Inc. Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.).
- ^ http://www.mygnrforum.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=134102&view=findpost&p=2304653
