'Beware the Ides of March'
2020-03-08
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1Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.
2People who believe in luck and bad luck -- that is to say, those considered superstitious - may think that some days or events are unlucky.
3In the United States, Friday the 13 is known as an "unlucky" day by superstitious people.
4Another famously unlucky day for some is March 15, also known as, "The Ides of March."
5The Ides of March is so unlucky that it is often spoken as a warning: "Beware the Ides of March."
6First, what exactly is an "ides?" The Latin root of "ides," a singular word, means "to divide."
7So, the ides of any month falls in its middle.
8The Roman calendar set ides on the 15th in March, May, July and October or on the 13th in the other months.
9The ides of a month usually falls on the first day of a full moon.
10In Roman times, the Ides of March was known as a date for paying off debts.
11But this connection was quickly lost because of different timing between calendar months and changes in the moon's appearance.
12The Ides of March was also a time people celebrated Mars, the god of war.
13But why do some people still use the expression, "Beware of the Ides of March"? Why do they consider it an unlucky day?
14March 15 was very unlucky for one man a very long time ago. On that date in the year 44 BC Julius Caesar was killed.
15The British playwright William Shakespeare takes this incident from Roman history and freezes it forever in literature.
16In Act 1, Scene 2 of "Julius Caesar," Shakespeare writes about a meeting between the dictator and a "soothsayer," someone who can predict the future.
17"Beware the Ides of March," says the soothsayer.
18Caesar asks, "What man is that?"
19And Brutus, Caesar's loyal friend answers, "A soothsayer says to (bids you) beware the Ides of March.
20Caesar does not listen to the warning. He should have.
21In Act III, Scene I, Shakespeare's famous line seems to show that Caesar is asking for trouble.
22Caesar says to the Soothsayer, "The Ides of March are come."
23The Soothsayer answers, "Aye, Caesar, but not gone."
24Caesar's friend Brutus will be among the attackers who kill him on the Ides of March.
25When he sees that Brutus has turned against him, he says, "Eh tu, Brutus?" This means "You too, Brutus?"
26This expression is widely used in Western culture when someone is betrayed by a friend.
27"The Ides of March" is also the name of a U.S. film made in 2011.
28George Clooney directed the film. He also stars in it as a promising presidential candidate.
29While no one gets assassinated, "The Ides of March" is a film about a friend being disloyal to a friend in the world of politics.
30Often in politics, loyalty and friendship do not go hand-in-hand.
31Julius Caesar learned this the hard way on the Ides of March.
32I'm Anna Matteo, thanking Christopher Jones-Cruise for playing Julius Caesar and Jonathan Evans for playing Brutus.
1Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories. 2People who believe in luck and bad luck -- that is to say, those considered superstitious - may think that some days or events are unlucky. 3In the United States, Friday the 13 is known as an "unlucky" day by superstitious people. Another famously unlucky day for some is March 15, also known as, "The Ides of March." 4The Ides of March is so unlucky that it is often spoken as a warning: "Beware the Ides of March." 5First, what exactly is an "ides?" The Latin root of "ides," a singular word, means "to divide." So, the ides of any month falls in its middle. The Roman calendar set ides on the 15th in March, May, July and October or on the 13th in the other months. The ides of a month usually falls on the first day of a full moon. 6In Roman times, the Ides of March was known as a date for paying off debts. But this connection was quickly lost because of different timing between calendar months and changes in the moon's appearance. The Ides of March was also a time people celebrated Mars, the god of war. 7But why do some people still use the expression, "Beware of the Ides of March"? Why do they consider it an unlucky day? 8March 15 was very unlucky for one man a very long time ago. On that date in the year 44 BC Julius Caesar was killed. 9The British playwright William Shakespeare takes this incident from Roman history and freezes it forever in literature. In Act 1, Scene 2 of "Julius Caesar," Shakespeare writes about a meeting between the dictator and a "soothsayer," someone who can predict the future. 10"Beware the Ides of March," says the soothsayer. 11Caesar asks, "What man is that?" 12And Brutus, Caesar's loyal friend answers, "A soothsayer says to (bids you) beware the Ides of March. 13Caesar does not listen to the warning. He should have. In Act III, Scene I, Shakespeare's famous line seems to show that Caesar is asking for trouble. 14Caesar says to the Soothsayer, "The Ides of March are come." 15The Soothsayer answers, "Aye, Caesar, but not gone." 16Caesar's friend Brutus will be among the attackers who kill him on the Ides of March. 17When he sees that Brutus has turned against him, he says, "Eh tu, Brutus?" This means "You too, Brutus?" 18This expression is widely used in Western culture when someone is betrayed by a friend. 19"The Ides of March" is also the name of a U.S. film made in 2011. George Clooney directed the film. He also stars in it as a promising presidential candidate. 20While no one gets assassinated, "The Ides of March" is a film about a friend being disloyal to a friend in the world of politics. Often in politics, loyalty and friendship do not go hand-in-hand. 21Julius Caesar learned this the hard way on the Ides of March. 22I'm Anna Matteo, thanking Christopher Jones-Cruise for playing Julius Caesar and Jonathan Evans for playing Brutus. 23Anna Matteo wrote and produced this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 24________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26beware - v. to be on guard; to take care of 27aye - adv. yes; a word of confirmation 28assassinate - v. to murder someone, often for political reasons 29We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.