"Beware the ides of March"

In Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," a soothsayer (Boyce's "Shakespeare A-Z" gives an understandable article on SOOTHSAYER) warns Ceasar, "Beware the ides of March (Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 20,25). The ides of March is March 15. Something ominous is on the horizon, to be fulfilled on the ides of March. Caesar dismisses the soothsayer calling him a "dreamer" (a nut, short a few french fries from his happy meal :). The ides of March came to fruition, and in Act 3, Scene 1, he is assassinated by conspirators, including both Cassius (the manipulator) and Brutus (an honorable Roman, doing what he thinks is the right thing to do for Rome, but quite conflicted with his actions). Besides it being the ides of March, another Roman holiday was in full swing. It was the annual festival of Lupercal, honoring the Roman god Lupercus (called Pan in Greek mythology). I find this fascinating. I hope you're hanging on tight because this ride is just getting started. JKH