March 15, 2026
The Ides of March
The Ides of March: Julius Caesar, ancient Rome, and Shakespeare's greatest plays.
You may also like ODD ONE OUT. a new podcast with Mark Ellison! Mark gives you 4 words, you decide which word does not belong. Three rounds daily, quick and fun,
Portions of today's trivia podcast were made with the help of AI.
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Calarugus Shark Media. Hi. I'm Mark Ellison, and today's theme
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is the IDEs of March, Julius Caesar, Ancient Rome and
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Shakespeare's greatest plays. Question one. In the Roman calendar, the
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iides marked the midpoint of certain months tied to the
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lunar cycle. On what modern calendar date does the IDEs
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of March fall the day forever linked to Julius Caesar's assassination?
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Question two. Caesar was not killed in Rome's traditional senate
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house during a senate meeting in forty four BCE. He
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was attacked in a different venue. Name the specific location
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in Rome where the assassination occurred. Question three. In Shakespeare's
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Julius Caesar, who delivers the ominous line beware the IDEs
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of March that Caesar dismisses on his way to the
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capitol Question four. Shakespeare relied on a single classical source
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widely read in sixteenth century England for much of the
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material in his Roman histories. What work provided the main
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basis for Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus? Question five.
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Beyond Julius Caesar, Shakespeare explored the peril of unchecked ambition
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in other masterpieces, which tragedy opens with three witches whose
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prophecy lures a Scottish general toward murder and tyranny. We'll
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be right back with these answers after this break. Welcome back.
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Question one, on what date is the IDEs of March?
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Answer March fifteenth In the Roman calendar, the Iides fell
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on the fifteenth in March, May, July, and October, and
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on the thirteenth in other months. March fifteenth, forty four
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BCE is the date when Caesar was assassinated. Question two
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Where in Rome was Caesar assassinated? Answer the Curia of
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Pompey in the Theatre of Pompey. The Senate convened in
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the Curia of Pompey, a hall attached to Pompey's theater complex,
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where the conspirators killed Caesar. The usual Senate house was
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under reconstruction after a fire. Question three, who warns beware
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the IDEs of March and Julius Caesar? Answer the soothsayer.
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The unnamed soothsayer repeatedly cautioned Caesar, but his warning is ignored.
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Shakespeare uses the moment to underscore themes of fate in Hubris.
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Question four, what was Shakespeare's main source for his Roman plays,
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Answer Plutarch's Parallel Lives in Sir Thomas North's translation. North's
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fifteen seventy nine translation of Plutarch's Lives supplied vivid biographies
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of Caesar, Brutus, Antony, and Coriolanus. Shakespeare often echoes North's
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phrasing and structure. Question five, which shakespeare tragedy with Witches,
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explores fatal ambition answer Macbeth. Macbeth begins with prophecies that
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spur its hero to seize the crown, paralleling themes of fate, persuasion,
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and political violence found in Julius Caesar. It is widely
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regarded as one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies. That concludes Today's
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five Daily Trivia questions. I'm Mark Ellison, and today's questions
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were crafted with the help of AI technology. See you tomorrow.
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