The Macbeth Curse
PRYDC
Someone asked about the theatrical superstition about Macbeth.
In most theaters it's considered great bad luck to quote any lines from Macbeth
or even to say the name of the play in a straight-forward manner while in a
theater (unless you're actually rehearsing the play of course, then you have an
exemption). The usual way around it is to refer to it as the Scottish play, or
"that" play.
There are many theories about how it came to be considered so unlucky, even
cursed.
For one, it's a play filled with violence, darkness and nihilism. There's
almost no theatrical experience that's blacker. Add to that, Shakespeare grew
up in a part of England where witchcraft was practiced very seriously, so there
have been those who reasoned the curses he has the witches in the play say are
from life, and have some real potency and force. They believe that the curses
spoken in the play have made the play itself a cursed thing, and those who
perform it liable to misfortune and injury.
To add even more to the bad smell around the play, it was written for a special
performance before King James and tailored to please him. That failed
miserably, however. The King was terrified of being assassinated and wore a
quilted doublet at all times to fend off any secret stilleto thrust. And there
he sat, unable to escape in the front row of the performance, with all its
murders, stabbings and fights---plus the witchcraft that also terrified him.
The play was banned for five years.
So there's a good start to being considered a cursed play.
In my own theatrical experience, if you made the mistake of quoting from the
play while in the theater, you had to leave whatever room you were in, turn and
spit three times and beg for re-entry to the room. Then...maybe...you were
safe.
pr...@aol.com (Debbie)
CRan124261
>In most theaters it's considered great bad luck to quote any lines from
>Macbeth
>or even to say the name of the play in a straight-forward manner
Another supposed reason is the play's great popularity.
If a theatre company was 'going downhill', a surefire way of getting an
audience was to put on Macbeth.
Therefore, any mention of Macbeth could mean that things were not looking too
good!
Chris
RKing11392
I've heard of the Curse of MacBeth, but as it was explained to me, it was due
to the fact that the incantation used by the witches in the play was supposedly
an actual ritual. And the curse affects only the opening night of the play,
usually something not too terribly horrible. An actor catchs the flu or
someone suffers a broken limb.
LITTLEPJoo
>(RKing11392) wrote:
I was the one asking about the curse and thanks to all for the info. It was
very interesting. NOW, is this also where they coined the term " break a leg" ,
referring to Kings response?
PJ
RKing11392
Actually I have no ideal where that term comes from, but actors like sailors
and pilots have their supersitious side. It's considered that one curses a
production by wishing it good luck, so the acting community uses, "break a leg"
a statement for bad or ill luck to bless(?) a show.