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Q. What are the "ides of March"?
A. In the ancient Roman calendar the "ides" was the fifteenth day of March, May, July, and October, and the thirteenth day of the other months. On March 15, 44 BC, Gaius Julius Caesar was assassinated by conspirators in the Senate House in Rome. In Shakespeare's play, Caesar passes through a public square and hears someone shout his name. Hushing the crowd, he asks the voice to speak again. A soothsayer comes into view and warns Caesar to "Beware the ides of March", but, unfortunately, Caesar ignores his premonition: "He is a dreamer; let us leave him: pass" (24).
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