Macbeth: Shakespeare’s Classic
In modern times we often have difficulty believing in superstitions. So, a play that’s cursed would seem highly unlikely to us. But some people really do believe of a curse in the play of Macbeth.
You may be surprised that a play written in the late 1500s by William Shakespeare is said to be cursed. Even today theatre people believe that the curse exists. This play is never referred to by its original title, Macbeth, inside of a theatre. Instead, it is called “Scottish play.” It is believed that to name this play by its original Shakespearean title inside a theatre will bring the curse on the acting company and that the curse will cause tragic losses─in people and/or money. Actors have been known to fall ill just before opening night of this play. Or, for some unknown reason, productions have not been attended and theatre companies have lost money. The curse has been blamed for these types of occurrences and more.
If someone does say the name of this unmentionable play inside a theatre, there is a ritual he or she must follow to counteract the curse. He or she must immediately leave the theatre, go outside and spin three times, spit on the ground and say the nastiest word he or she can think of. When he or she has completed this ritual, he or she must ask to be allowed back into the theatre.
There are theories about how a curse could be associated with this play. In this play, Shakespeare used genuine black magic incantations such as the famous lines by the witches: “Double, double, toil and trouble.” The Bard of Avon may therefore have offended real witches who then supposedly cursed the play. What seems a much more likely explanation is that this play, which was and is a very popular one, is frequently performed by theatre companies that make money. If the company is already struggling, it may make sense that they are not adept actors and therefore this or any other play they might perform would not make money because it would not attract a large audience. It’s not the fault of any curse, some say, but the fault of a poor performance.
However, both the curse and the ritual to counteract it are taken very seriously by twenty-first century theatre people. For example, in 2004 the Stratford Festival performed this play and had several possibly “cursed” events take place. An actor’s word flew out of his hand in a fight in the first preview performance of the play. During the final rehearsals, one cast member’s grandmother died, so an understudy had to be used to start the play. Many wondered whether someone had spoken the name of the Scottish tragedy within the theatre walls!
We think ourselves as being above superstition in this modern age but theatre people aren’t about to leave anything to chance when performing that “Scottish play.” The title will never be spoken by any thespian inside the walls of a theatre.
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