Superstition In Macbeth

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Those who believe in the curse claim that real spells are cast in the three witches scene. Some of those who believe in the reality of the spells also believe real witches should be chosen to act the roles and that it is the failure to do so that creates the environment within which the curse supposedly has effect. Some believers claim that including the character Hecate, frequently cut from productions of the play due to questions about her part's authorship, intensifies the curse. It is said that the curse effects were initially introduced unwittingly by Shakespeare, and in a deficient form, in an early version of the play, however under threat of curse himself by a local coven of witches, which were increasingly common in Britain in the …show more content…
According to the actor Sir Donald Sinden, in his Sky Arts TV series Great West End Theatres, "contrary to popular myth, Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth is not the unluckiest play as superstition likes to portray it. Exactly the opposite! The origin of the unfortunate moniker dates back to repertory theatre days when each town and village had at least one theatre to entertain the public. If a play was not doing well, it would invariably get 'pulled' and replaced with a sure-fire audience pleaser – Macbeth guaranteed full-houses. So when the weekly theatre newspaper, The Stage was published, listing what was on in each theatre in the country, it was instantly noticed what shows had not worked the previous week, as they had been replaced by a definite crowd-pleaser. More actors have died during performances of Hamlet than in the "Scottish play" as the profession still calls it. It is forbidden to quote from it backstage as this could cause the current play to collapse and have to be replaced, causing possible

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