Friday, March 14, 2008

Beware the Ides of March

It is the 14th of March already here in Thailand, so it seems a good time to remember the famous words from Shakespeare's Julius Caeser.


Soothsayer
Caesar!

CAESAR
Ha! who calls?

CASCA
Bid every noise be still: peace yet again!

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
Set him before me; let me see his face.

CASSIUS
Fellow, come from the throng; look upon Caesar.

CAESAR
What say'st thou to me now? speak once again.

Soothsayer
Beware the ides of March.

CAESAR
He is a dreamer; let us leave him: pass.
(Thanks for the quote from The Literature Network)



According to Merriam Webster the Ides fall on

the 15th day of March, May, July, or October or the 13th day of any other month in the ancient Roman calendar; broadly : this day and the seven days preceding it


National Geographic
tells us more about that bloody day in the year 44 BCE. And perhaps Ropi, the Roman expert, will too. I checked, and he has, but not because of Julius, but because of the event this link to Wikipedia tells us:

The revolution in Hungary grew into a war for independence from Habsburg rule.

Many of its leaders and participants, including Lajos Kossuth, István Széchenyi, Sándor Petőfi, Józef Bem, are among the most respected national figures in Hungarian History, and the anniversary of the revolution's outbreak, March 15 is one of Hungary's three national holidays.

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