When Appius realized what day it
was he panicked; it was the Ides of March, the day he had heard Brutus mention.
He knew that he had no time and that he must make his way over to Pompey’s
theatre. Appius had heard that the senate was hosting gladiatorial sports there
on this day and Caesar was expected to attend. However Appius concluded that
this must be a trick played on Caesar so that the senators would have a chance
to kill him.
As
Appius arrived Pompey’s theatre, he was relieved to see that Caesar was not
there. Appius assumed that somebody must have warned Caesar of the attempt on
his life and Caesar decided it would be safer to miss the event. Then he saw
him. As Caesar walked in to the theatre, he was immediately met by a group of
senators including Brutus. Appius followed them as they attempted to intimidate
Caesar. Appius heard as one of the senators demanded that Caesar recall his
exiled brother to Rome. However, Caesar would not give in to his demands.
Appius could not clearly hear or see the events as the unfolded however he did
see Caesar get angry and mention the word “violence”. At that moment Appius
witnessed the mob of men lunge towards the great dictator, each one attempting
to stab him. Appius then saw Caesar’s face as he realized that Brutus was a
part of the group.
As
the senators dispersed, Appius could see Caesar’s motionless body lying at the
foot of Pompey’s statue. Appius all of a sudden became very frightened. He was
frightened at the horrible event that he had just witnessed. How could educated
men commit such a terrible crime against such a great Roman citizen? However,
Appius was more frightened about the uncertainty. What does this mean for Rome?
Where does Rome go from here? As he walked through the city, he realized that
the roads were empty. Every Roman citizen seemed to be locked away inside their
home just as frightened as he is. Appius concluded that he should do the same.
