Beware the Ides of March! (and of dissing Caesar's poetry)

On this date in 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was assassinated.

"Beware the Ides of March!" the soothsayer said. Caesar went to the Senate anyway.

Et tu, Brute?

My all-time favorite Caesar story comes from the time he forced his captors to listen to his poetry.

Here, let my friend and Gibbs High social studies teacher Dean Harned tell it:

"Yes, he mocked them for not appreciating it and threatened to crucify them upon his release. He also demanded to know how much they were asking in ransom for his return and made fun of them for asking so little. When he was freed he tracked them down and crucified them, though he cut their throats to hasten their passing because they had amused him."

Heh, heh. Now that, my friends, is funny.

If it weren't so late as I type this, I'd pull the Complete Shakespeare off the shelf and read the entire play.