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Rex Booth
"Beware the Ides of March"!!
March 15 was unlucky for one man a long time ago. The year was 44 BC for Julius Caesar.
In 1599, the British playwright William Shakespeare takes this incident from Roman history and molds it forever in literature. In Act 1, Scene 2 of "Julius Caesar,” Shakespeare writes about a meeting between the dictator and a “soothsayer,” a man who can predict the future.
“Beware the Ides of March,” says the Soothsayer. Caesar asks, “What man is that?” And Brutus, Caesar’s (loyal) friend answers, “A soothsayer bids you Beware the Ides of March”!
In Act III, Scene I, Shakespeare’s famous line shows Caesar is not taking the warning seriously.
Caesar says to the Soothsayer, “The Ides of March are come…” The Soothsayer answers, “Aye Caesar, but not gone!!”
Caesar’s friend Brutus is among the Senators who will kill him on the Ides of March. When Caesar sees that Brutus has turned against him, he says, “Et tu, Brute’?” (“And You too, Brutus?”)
Another spin on the story…
Dave Gardner was a comedian/philosopher in the late 1950’s. Many of you fondly remember him as Brother Dave. Listen to Brother Dave doing a short historical dissertation on “Julius Caesar”…
Spoken with a Southern drawl…“Brutus walks in the room and says: “Hail Caesar!” Caesar responds: “Hell Yes!!” Caesar says: “Et tu Brute’?” Brutus says: “No man, Ah dun et….!”
And Classmates, that is our history lesson for today! Now, someone needs to wakeup El Juan in the back of the room…
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HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!! 