Pros And Cons Of Macbeth

Lille Schanck
Mrs. Detwiler
Honors English I
23 December 2016
The Do’s and Don’ts of Macbeth

Macbeth, black magic, and witches. What do these 3 things have in common? The answer is: a recipe for disaster. The play Macbeth, written by Shakespeare in 1606, has a tendency to make people feel uneasy. From untimely deaths to spooky incantations, Macbeth has a reputation for mayhem, and continues sometimes still to this day.
Now with anything, the curse had to start somewhere and there are many theories and legends about why there seems to be a curse on the play Macbeth. One legend says that Shakespeare wrote Macbeth for King James I to impress him. At the time, King James supported Shakespeare’s endeavors and paid for them, so to thank him
for his gratitude, Shakespeare wrote Macbeth for him. Shakespeare put elements of black magic and witches into the play because King James was intrigued by that. The most popular myth says that Shakespeare used real incantations and black magic within the play. The witches who attended the play got angered that the spells weren’t used in proper context, so they placed a curse on any future productions. A not as well-known legend says that the original prop master was unable to find a cauldron and instead stole one from a group of witches. As a result, the witches cursed the play in revenge for stealing their cauldron.
Many people probably know the theater has tons of superstitions.
Some of them even date back to Shakespearean times! Any person, even if they don’t have experience in theater probably know it’s bad to utter the words “good luck.” Instead, people say the phrase “break a leg.” Historians believe it originated in Shakespearean times when stages were supported by thin legs. When a great show caused a ruckus, one of the legs of the stage would break” (Harkin). Actors and actresses have also considered the word “Macbeth” to be very unlucky. In fact that in some theaters, no one is to say “Macbeth” unless it’s during the actual rehearsal or actual production. Additionally, a superstition that might not be as well known is something called a ghost light. Its purpose it to protect the theater from any ghosts or spirits that want to cause mischief. Ghost lights are still used in many theaters today. The effects of not leaving ghost lights on can range from clothing malfunctions, faulty speakers, and props breaking. Fortunately, there are a few ways to reverse the curse. The rituals include yelling a string of obscenities, spinning around 3 times, and lastly spitting over your left shoulder then exiting the theater until you’re invited back (MacGowan). Then, and only then, do people think it is safe and the dangers of the curse are
removed.
But even with all these precautions, people are still at risk, especially the ones who play Lady Macbeth. In fact, at the very first performance, the boy playing Lady Macbeth got ill and died right before going onstage. Shakespeare himself had to play the role! But that’s not all. In a 17th century production, the actor playing King Duncan was supposedly killed in front of an audience when a real dagger was used instead of the prop. In an 18409 production in New York it turned violent and left 22 people injured and more than 100 people dead. It was between two actors, Edwin Forrest and William Charles Macready. Their dispute was regarding who was better at playing the role of Macbeth. In the early 30’s actress Lillian Boylis portrayed the role of Lady Macbeth, but died on the final day of dress rehearsal. They hung her portrait in the theater and later on during another production of Macbeth, her portrait fell from the wall (Faires). Furthermore, in 1953, Charlton Heston, the man playing the lead suffered severe burns on his legs. People later discovered his tights were mysteriously soaked in kerosene (MacGowan). Starting to notice a common trend? It is even said that President Lincoln read Macbeth about a week before his assassination and it happened to be the scene after Duncan was killed! Strangely enough, even though Macbeth is surrounded in controversy, both onstage and off, people still continue to read it. Maybe it’s because of the witches and black magic or the numerous deaths that make people fascinated. Either way, the next time someone reads “The Scottish Play,” they should keep in mind that they are in danger of getting the curse themselves! So beware Macbeth!

Works Cited
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"Phantoms of the Theatre." AMERICAN THEATRE. N.p., 01 Dec. 2016. Web. 22 Dec. 2016.
Doug MacGowan. "The Macbeth Curse." Historic Mysteries. N.p., 19 May 2012. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.
Faires, Robert. "The Curse of the Play." Arts - The Austin Chronicle. N.p., 13 Oct. 2000. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.
Harkin, Tess. "Top 10 Theater Superstitions | Camp Broadway." Camp Broadway RSS. N.p., 31 Oct. 2012. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.
McNamara, Robert. "Bloody 1849 New York City Riot Was Provoked By Opera House Actors." About.com Education. N.p., 23 Nov. 2016. Web. 22 Dec. 2016.
Schumm, Laura. "Why Do Actors Avoid the Word “Macbeth”?" History.com. A&E Television Networks, 09 Apr. 2014. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.
@ticketnetwork. "The Curse, Legend, and Superstitions of Shakespeare's Macbeth." TicketNetwork Blog. N.p., 23 Apr. 2013. Web. 21 Dec. 2016
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