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“Angels and ministers of grace defend us.” — Hamlet, 1.4.39

First performed in 1606 for King James I, the tragic play Macbeth is more than 400 years old, yet its impact, like most all of William Shakespeare’s plays, resonates for the modern audience.

Still performed regularly by theater companies, the play packs a good deal of power, atmosphere, and theme into a rather short drama. It is in fact Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy and is believed to have been shaved to please the king (who wasn’t fond of epics).

Scholars have pored over its every line, dedicated years to the dissection of characters and motives, yet there’s always something new to learn of Macbeth. Indeed, from high school to West End to Broadway (see the 2008 adaptation from Chichester Festival Theatre), it remains one of the Bard’s most well-known and complex plays. It’s also cursed.

Did you know: It’s believed the play carries a curse, with a history of incidents to support the sinister claim. Death and injury seem to befall those associated with Macbeth more than any other Shakespearean play. And while this could be due to Macbeth’s involved stage production (foggy moors, a castle, a banquet, an apparition, a chase…), the more accepted explanation is the play’s curse.

For hundreds of years now, performers have known of the curse, subscribed to it, and taken precautions to see that it remain at rest. The primary defense to keeping the Macbeth curse at bay is to never utter the title and/or character within the theater.

If unfortunately it is, the offender must quickly exit the building, perform a (cleansing) ritual, and then, be invited back. He/she cannot re-enter unless an invitation is extended.

As for the ritual itself, there are variations, but effective reversals include spinning three times (while saying a profanity), spitting over one’s shoulder, delivering a stream of swears, or reciting a line from one of the Bard’s other plays, such as Hamlet (”Angels and ministers of grace defend us,” 1.4.39) or A Midsummer Night’s Dream (”If we shadows have offended,” 5.1.423).

In order to avoid all this however, performers simply refer to Macbeth as “The Scottish Play” (also, “The Bard’s Play”). Even the main characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are given aliases or referred to as “Mr. M” and “Lady M.” You may be asking how the play is performed if no one is allowed to utter “Macbeth” in the theater. A very good question and you’re right: The only exception is that “Macbeth” can be said as a line during the performance.

With witches, prophecies, and the supernatural all being integral to Macbeth, it’s not surprising that some uneasiness may have arisen over time. The fact that there had been actual incidents of unexplained calamity (e.g. prop daggers being switched out for real ones) only enhanced the collective anxiety.

Today though, the “curse” is more of a fun fact, a did you know. But, it’s nonetheless a respected curse and you’ll not find a performer taking it lightly. No, for the theater world, Macbeth is quite simply (and safely) “The Scottish Play.”

^{* Public domain sketch courtesy of Karen’s Whimsy}