{"id":10587,"date":"2017-10-25T11:28:29","date_gmt":"2017-10-25T15:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aesu.com\/?p=3063"},"modified":"2017-10-25T11:28:29","modified_gmt":"2017-10-25T15:28:29","slug":"curse-shakespeares-macbeth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/curse-shakespeares-macbeth\/","title":{"rendered":"The Curse of Shakespeare\u2019s Macbeth"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Don't
Don’t say “Macbeth!”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The theater thrives on <\/span>superstition<\/span><\/a>. It\u2019s better to inform an actor to break a limb than to wish them an ounce of luck. A bad dress rehearsal always makes for a successful opening night, and don\u2019t ever think about bringing a peacock feather inside of the auditorium. These superstitions are merely fun practices of the<\/span> theater<\/span><\/a>, but one has long been part of the actor\u2019s tradition: Don\u2019t say \u201cMacbeth!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Black Magic <\/span><\/h2>\n

The curse is thought to have been created by <\/span>Shakespeare<\/span><\/a> himself, after casting real witches in his original production of the play. The black magic spells recited by the Weird Sisters are believed to have cast a terrible curse on Shakespeare\u2019s magnum opus. Since its first performance in 1606, countless disasters have occurred in playhouses around the world such as:<\/span><\/p>\n

-In 1606, an actor died backstage during the opening night of Macbeth.<\/span><\/p>\n

-In 1849, the audience was so affected by the performance that a riot broke out and several people were killed. <\/span><\/p>\n

-In 1934, four different actors played Macbeth in a single week due to various illnesses. <\/span><\/p>\n

-In 1953, Charlton Heston\u2019s legs suffered severe burns. It was later discovered that his lights had been soaked in kerosene. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Scottish Play <\/span><\/h2>\n

Since it\u2019s considered deadly to say the \u201cMacbeth\u201d aloud in the theater, a few euphemisms have been created for the play. Macbeth is often referred to as \u201cThe Scottish Play\u201d and \u201cThe Bard\u2019s Play.\u201d The lead character is often referred to as \u201cThe Scottish King\u201d and Lady Macbeth is referred to as \u201cThe Scottish Lady.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Cleansing <\/span><\/h2>\n

If an actor does speak the name of the play, they must complete a series of cleansing rituals to ward off the evil they have brought inside of the theater. The ritual includes turning three times, spitting over one\u2019s shoulder, and reciting a line from another of Shakespeare\u2019s plays. Some production groups, that take the curse seriously, do not let the offender back into the theater for fear that the curse may follow them. <\/span><\/p>\n

VISIT ENGLAND WITH AESU!<\/b><\/h1>\n

AESU <\/b>offers unique, thrilling travel programs for college students and young professionals at affordable rates. Each trip is action-packed and informal\u2014designed just for people your own age. We are also able to design custom tours just for your group.<\/span><\/p>\n

AESU offers several trips to <\/span>London and the UK<\/b>, including <\/span>Cosmopolitan<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Euro Spree<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Explorer<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Euro Focus<\/span><\/a>, and our most popular tour, <\/span>Great Escape<\/span><\/a>. Explore England and the home of William Shakespeare. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you have any questions or want help booking your <\/span>next London <\/b>adventure, please contact <\/span>AESU <\/b>by calling <\/span>800-638-7640<\/b>, or fill out the <\/span>contact form<\/span><\/a> found on our website!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The theater thrives on superstition. It\u2019s better to inform an actor to break a limb than to wish them an ounce of luck. A bad dress rehearsal always makes for a successful opening night, and don\u2019t ever think about bringing a peacock feather inside of the auditorium. These superstitions are merely fun practices of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3064,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"postBodyCss":"","postBodyMargin":[],"postBodyPadding":[],"postBodyBackground":{"backgroundType":"classic","gradient":""},"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[360,78,333],"class_list":["post-10587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-england-travel-tips","tag-macbeth","tag-shakespeare","tag-visit-england"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Curse of Shakespeare\u2019s Macbeth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The theater thrives on superstition. It\u2019s better to inform an actor to break a limb than to wish them an ounce of luck. 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