M. Porcius Cato Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 I've always wondered: Why was this episode called the "Kalends of February" rather than the "Ides of March," when the most important event of the episode took place? What is so significant about the Kalends of February? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 I think the series writers merely may have been employing a bit of deliberate irony in titling that episode with a date that was insignificant in comparison to the audience-anticipated significance of the Ides of March. There Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Porcius Cato Posted June 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 Is there really nothing significant at all about the Kalends of February? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 My personal impression, and that's all it is, was that the name of the episode was just supposed to represent the activity and events leading up to the Ides of March. We know that the Ides is significant for the actual assassination, but the common viewer probably had a far lesser appreciation for the reasons it took place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Porcius Cato Posted June 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 OK, I guess it's possible that "Kalends of February" was chosen simply to stand for the events leading up to Caesar's death. Nevertheless, I wondered what those might be so I double-checked the dates. On 26 Jan 44, Caesar rode into the city from the ritual of the Feriae Latinae. Acclaimed rex by some in the crowd, Caesar reportedly replied, "I am Caesar, not king." The next date that we can fix is 15 Feb 44, the day of the Lupercalia, when Caesar again ostentatiously refused to be called king. Accounts of this event are given by Cicero, Nicolaus, Livy, Velleius, Florus, Plutarch, Suetonius, and Appian. As far as I can tell, the two remaining events that one might place between these two well-dated events are: (1) the placement of regal emblems on Caesar's statues and Caesar's ruthless punishment of the tribunes who had attempted to censure those responsible; and (2) the incident in which Caesar failed to rise in acknowledgment of honors given to him by a host of senators (allegedly because Caesar had diarrhea). Given that HBO's Rome dramatized none of these events, I guess I have to agree that the Kalends is simply shorthand for "What Caesar was up to before he got his comeuppance". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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