The Ides of March has come and gone

Gwen Herat

The fateful day that revolves around one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, leading all events and to the assassination of Julius Caesar. The Romans still despise it and let the day pass with no ceremonies or events was held on March 15. It all starts the previous day in Caesar’s palace with lightning and thunder with him awake in his night robe.

Caesar ‘Nor heaven, nor earth have been at peace to night, Thrice hath Calpurnia in her sleep cried out ‘Help, ho, They murder Caesar; Who’s within’.

Act. II Scene II

The disturbed Calpurnia senses tragedy and warns Caesar not to go to the Capital as planned. The night had warned her of the impending death of her husband.

Calpurnia : ‘What means you Caesar? Think you to walk forth; You shall not stir out of your house today.

Julius Caesar. Death came to him on the Ides of March	Mark Antony. Delivers one of the finest orations Shakespeare wrote. This one on the Ides of March at Caesar’s assassination.

Caesar : ‘Caesar shall forth; the things that threatened me Ne’er looked but on my back; when they shall see The face of Caesar; they are vanished.

Calpurnia : ‘Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies. Yet now they fright me. There is one within. Besides the things that we have heard and seen.

Recounts most horrids sights seen by the watch I lioness hath whelped in the street. And graves have yawn’d, and yielded up their dead.

Fierce fiery warriors fight upon the clouds In ranks and squadrons, and right form of war Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol....

Act. II Scene. 11

Nothing could change Caesar’s mind as he prepares to meet a horrible death. In another turn of events elsewhere, Cassius conspires with Casca to kill Caesar.

They both agree that Rome is at threat. They had other senators too but needed Brutus help. Brutus is not happy about what is going to happen and neither is he happy about Rome’s fate.

In the small hours of the night, Brutus walks alone in his garden evaluating what was in store for the next day, he is disturbed by a knock at his gate. Cassius is with a group, consisting Trebonius, Casca, Dacius, Cinna and Metellus who have all agreed to kill Caesar the next day. Brutus agrees to the plan but insists that Mark Antony be spared. ‘Let us not be butchers’ he says.

Brutus’ wife Pertia sees the conspirators and knowing that something is on his mind, chides him to be careful. When she learns about the failure of the conspiracy the next day, the Ides of March, Portia commits suicide.

We all know about Shakespeare’s passion for the supernatural such as goblins, spirits, ghosts, witches, soothsayers etc. He introduces them into his plays once too often and they play vital parts, connecting scenes and characters.

In Julius Caesar, the Bard uses a soothsayer to prophersice impending tragedy. One single event on Ides of March connects all the key characters in this explosive tragedy to create a niche in history.

As crowds cheer Caesar, leading to the Capitol for the Senate sitting, his conspirators are among them along with Artemidorus, Antony, Leptidus among others as well as the soothsayer.

Caesar ‘The Ides of March are come Soothsayer ‘Ay Caesar, but not gone. Artemidous ‘Hail Caesar, read the schedule’

Act. III Scene. 1

Caesar is in no hurry. Caesar: ‘What; urge you your petitions in the street? Caesar enters the capitol and all follow him. In the meantime, the conspirators have enticed Mark Antony away until Caesar settles down and the Senators take their seats. A few moments later, they all set upon Caesar and kill him. They all mock him.

Cinna: ‘O Caesar, Cassius ‘Wilt thou lift up Olympus? Decius ‘Great Caesar’ After awhile, Caesar falls and before he dies he looks at his trusted Brutus and whispers to him ‘Et tu Brute?’

Left to himself beside Caesar’s body, the grief-stricken, devastated Antony rages against all those responsible for his Master’s death.

He promises the fallen Caesar that he would wage war in revenge. The murder causes uproar among the senators and the public who have rushed to the streets. Brutus tries to calm them with little success but he explains why Caesar had to die.

He tells them that the great Caesar was going to make them slaves. Brutus’s words and rendering of them so eloquent, they believe him. But Mark Antony appears carrying Caesar’s body band declares otherwise. He tells the people that Caesar loved them all and he waves Caesar’s will for the people.

They are deeply moved by Antony’s words and rally around him.

Antony makes the final oration which is considered as one of the best written by Shakespeare.

Antony: ‘Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him, The evil that men do lives after them.

The good is interred with their bones. So, let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus Hath told you, Caesar was ambitious If it were so, it was a grievous fault And grievously hath Caesar answered it. When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept; Ambition should be made of sterner stuff ‘Yet, Brutus says he was ambitous And Brutud is an honourable man....

Act. III Scene II