This
month we are going to be discussing betrayal in the stories that we write and
read. Before we begin, I thought I’d talk about the Ides of March because I have
to admit that I’d heard the expression but wasn’t real clear on its history. And
I still haven’t seen the Clooney movie either.
Thank
goodness for the internet.
The
word “ides” comes from the Latin “idus”, which was used in the Roman calendar
to depict the middle of the month. The Ides of March would therefore be March
15th. As a side note, this date used to be the day to celebrated and
honor the god, Mars.
So
where in the world did the idea of betrayal come from?
The
15th of March 44 B.C was the day Julius Caesar was stabbed to death
by the Roman Senate. In his biography, Parallel Lives, the Greek
historian Lucius Plutarchus wrote that a seer had warned Caesar that he would
be harmed but no later than the Ides of March. While on his way to the Theatre
of Pompey, the place where he was to be killed, a very much alive Caesar met
the seer once again.
“The
Ides of March have come,” Caesar said, clearly poking fun at the seer for prophesizing
falsely.
The
seer replied, “Aye, Caesar; but not gone.”
That night Caesar himself would be gone, murdered
by a group of senators including his close friend, Marcus Junius Brutus. In modern times the phrase “You
too, Brutus?” comes from the scene in William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar (1599) where Caesar
resisted his attackers until he recognized his dear friend in the mix. After
after uttering the line, “Et tu, Brute?” he resigned himself to his fate
and stopped struggling.This ultimate betrayal by a friend has forevermore been linked to the Ides of March. And now we know.
Do you have any favorite betrayal stories?
For some reason, spy stories come to mind for me. Possibly because I just rented the new James Bond thriller, Skyfall. Without giving away too much, the theme in this action adventure is all about betrayal and the breaking of trust. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.
3 comments:
On of the 'best' betrayals I've ever read is in the book, THE PRINCE OF TIDES. I didn't 'like' the book; I had too strong a reaction to it to be called like, and it was not positive. It moved me. It reminded me of my mother, and not in a good way. But most of all, the ropadope at the end was stunning, at least for me. I know there's been a movie made but honestly can't say that I've seen it nor do I want to. But if one likes intense stories, then this one I recommend. Deeply powerful.
I haven't read that one yet. It sounds powerful if it moved you that much.
To make Caesar's betrayal better--or worse--Brutus was rumored to be his natural son. Brutus's mother had been his lover around the time of the boy's conception. Yeah, the whole "Caesar's wife" concept only applied to his wife. Sheesh!
Post a Comment