The Ides of March: Symbol of Tragedy?

Hello, Adult Readers,

Are you aware that today, March 15, is called “The Ides of March“?

So, what are “ides,” and who cares? Well, I do, having an inquiring mind for interesting historical tidbits that my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries might embrace!

Turns out that “ides” refers to the first full moon in a given month. This dates back to the early Roman calendar, which was based on lunar cycles. Then, the full moon usually fell between the 13th and 15th of March, May, July, and October, thus fixing those days as “The Ides.” It didn’t take many years, however, for the lunar calendar to get out of sync with the Julian calendar, the one we still use today. But “The Ides” label stuck–at least for March 15. Why for one day of one month only?

A little more background: March 15 used to be the Roman New Year’s celebration, a day of joy, religious events, settling of debts, and feasting. But two years before he was murdered, Julius Caesar uprooted the celebration to January. Hold onto that piece of ironic date information . . .

Because as many of you may know, the same Julius Caesar, who tinkered with his Julian calendar and the festival, was assassinated on March 15, 44 BCE–The Ides of March–when twenty-three members of the Roman Senate stabbed him to death with knives and swords inside the Senate chamber. A day that used to be joyous turned tragic, at least for Caesar and those loyal to him.

And The Ides of March is to this day widely seen as an omen of danger and betrayal, a symbol of misfortune and tragedy, primarily but not exclusively because of that horrendous historical event. On this day, we often hear the command, “Beware the Ides of March!” But what has given it staying power since ancient times?

First Literary Tie-In: William Shakespeare for one in his play Julius Caesar with the famous line uttered by Caesar to Brutus, “Et tu, Brute?” who supposedly inflicted the first knife wound. For those not put off by graphic material, viewer discretion adviser, and who want to know, “Could Caesar have lived long enough to utter his famous line to Brutus? scroll down to the video in the article The History Channel, “Beware the Ides of March, but Why?” with forensic medical investigator Shiya Ribowsky discussing just how many of those knife wounds actually killed Julius Caesar! But what did an ancient physician have to say? You might be surprised!

But Pop Culture has had a hand, no pun intended, in giving The Ides of March a tragic afterlife. Google examples if you care to see the references in addition to Shakespeare, here are two. Second Literary Tie-In: Thornton Wilder’s 1948 historical fiction book, The Ides of March, in which the author skillfully weaves fictional letters, diary entries, and personal reflections from Caesar, Cleopatra, Brutus, and others to re-create the final months of the emperor’s life, kept the momentum going. And check out the 2011 movie The Ides of March from Columbia Pictures starring Ryan Gosling and George Clooney about figurative backstabbing in a political settling.

So, Readers, get a clue. The Ides of March as a symbol and omen of tragic events and superstition has its origins in the lunar Julian calendar where the Ides marked the middle of certain months; March 15 as a Roman religious holiday; and Julius Caesar’s assassination, which began the collapse of the Roman Republic and years of civil war. The date endures today because it sits at the nexus of a tragic historical event, Shakespeare’s and other artists’ works, and Pop Culture echoing its themes. 

But for me, the Ides of March will forever be joyful. Because a few decades ago on this day, my daughter was born. And that has been fortunate for many!