Today is the Ides of March: Should You Beware?

William Shakespeare immortalized the phrase "Beware the Ides of March" in his classic tragedy Julius Caesar way back in the day and since then, the phrase has shown up in movies and other random references. But what is it, and what should we be fearing?

What Is The "Ides of March"?

Besides it being a rather cool-sounding phrase, the date that tends to fall on either March 13 or 15 (more on this later) carries significance for multiple reasons. Most importantly, the phrase originates from the Roman Empire way back in 40 BC. Most of the things related to this date don't spell doom, though the most well-known item related to this date is very dark.

The dark fate associated with this date is the topic of Shakespeare's play, the assassination of Roman dictator Julius Caesar in 44 BC. Caesar ruled for a short period but made many changes that fundamentally changed the way the Roman Empire functioned. His rising power raised concern among the nobles. As a result, he was killed by a group of senators, including his trusted friend Marcus Junius Brutus (hence the famous phrase, Et tu, Brute?)

The other relations to this date are more normal. As I mentioned earlier, the Ides of March fall on either the 13th or 15th, and this is because it was used to indicate the middle of the new month. Since months were based on the moon, it was given a range of dates. The Ides of March marked the new year until the dictator mentioned above changed the date of the new year. Otherwise, it was also known as a day to settle your debts.

So, if you still haven't Venmo'd your friend for lunch the other day, today might be the day to do it.