The Unfortunate Curse of the Scottish Play
by R.J.
by R.J.
Three
major explanations behind the curse of Macbeth include the reasoning of the
witches’ spells, the words of the witches, and the coincidences surrounding the
play and venues, all of which supposedly lead to the ominous atmosphere of the
play.
First,
the repeated occurrence of the witches and their spells give the superstitious
play a more reputable backstory behind the curse. Legend has it that
“Shakespeare used an authentic ritual when his witches create their magical
brew… [And] a group of real witches were so displeased with it that they put a
curse on the play” (King), indicating that those injured or killed by the play
have Shakespeare to blame. Shakespeare may have had different motives: Aiming
to please James I in his work, he may have hinted at his use of “Daemonologie
which discussed witchcraft ... [using] ... King James' documented
incantations... hoping to ingratiate himself with the King” (Dunning), showing
that he may have placed the curse himself in order to warns actors and audiences
against the use of witchcraft. Due to the severity of the curse, modern witches
attempted to reverse the spell placed on the play, however, “all fell victim to
different mishaps preventing them all to make to their meeting” (O’Neill),
showing that the curse placed applies to those who try to defy it. The role of
the witches in Macbeth shows their superstitions extended not only from the
stage but also to those who attempt to break the curse in any way.
Another
reason behind the curse of Macbeth is the meter and diction of the witches’
speeches. Majority of Shakespeare’s work is in iambic pentameter, however, “the
witches’ rhythm is opposite the heartbeat: BUH-dum, BUH-dum, BUH-dum,
etc. [indicating] anti life, hence, death, or at least curse” (Quealy), which
indicates that Shakespeare writing causes the curse indirectly. However, the presence
of trochaic tetrameter (eight syllables with stresses on 1, 3, 5 and 7)
indicates that Shakespeare may have not written those lines himself, since, “In
the speeches of Hecate on the other hand the rhythm is iambic. There is . . . not a single trochaic line. This is one
of several arguments against the Shakespearean
authorship of these passages” (Parrott), indicating that the curse could also
from Shakespeare’s lack of contribution to the lines of the witches. However,
the characterization of the witches could be to blame for the curse, as
“Shakespeare has placed in [their] mouths … imagery and diction … as to render
them objects of alarm and fear … and we shrink back, [being] at war with all
that is good” (Mabillard), which says that the maladies associated with the
play stem from the fear instilled by the witches. However, the words of the
witches apply to the entire play, making the curse of Macbeth a curse of
rhetoric, fitting for a Shakespearean play.
Finally, the curse of Macbeth can simply be justification
of the circumstances and coincidences of a venue an actor. For example, an
oft-cited example is that Macbeth often causes a theater to close or go
bankrupt, since “As a known crowd-pleaser ‘Macbeth’ is often performed by
theater companies with money problems trying to fill seats…And then if the company
does fail – what’s to blame…why ‘the Scottish play’” (Kerr), which may both
disconnect a theater’s problems with the curse, but also keep theaters wary of
the play in general. The play also has a number of violent scenes, involving
prop swords and daggers, and though they may go awry, “a lot of scenes [are] in
the dark, which increases the possibility for something to go wrong” (Kerr),
thus making the violence and setting another possible cause and consequence of
the curse. However, much of the curse can
sum up to a history in bad luck, and belief in such a curse is often the reason
behind more incidents. Overall, the curse of Macbeth could very well have
originated from an unfortunate series of events that turned into a believable
superstition.
Works Cited
Dunning, Brian. "Toil and Trouble: The
Curse of Macbeth." Skeptoid.
Skeptoid, 7 Sept. 2010. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.
Kerr, Euan. "Mystery Surrounds Roots of
the Macbeth Curse." MPRNews.
Minnesota Public Radio, 5 Feb. 2010. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.
King, Warren. "The Curse of
Macbeth." No Sweat Shakespeare.
No Sweat Shakespeare, 19 Feb. 2011. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.
Mabillard, Amanda. Introduction to the
Characters in Macbeth. Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. <
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/macbeth/macbethchars.html >.
O'Neill, Laura. "The Curse of
Macbeth." Pascack Valley Regional
High School District. Schoolwires, Inc., Mar.-Apr. 2008. Web. 4 Feb. 2015.
Quealy, Gerit. "Curse of the Scottish
Play." The Huffington Post.
Huffington Post, 30 May 2012. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed.
Thomas Marc Parrott. New York: American Book Co., 1904. Shakespeare Online.
10 Aug. 2010. < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/macbeth/macbethmetre>.
The
Curse of Macbeth
by A.K.
The reoccurring misfortunes,
including injury, resulting from productions of the play, “Macbeth”, have
several theories of their cause, including bad luck, how the play is written
and meant to be performed, and superstitious forces.
In Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, the play
is said to be so unlucky that actors or producers call it the “Scottish Play”,
in order to avoid calling it by its real name and becoming cursed. The commotion
over a supposed curse could be over nothing but a serious of coincidences. For
example, the incident where “In 1934, four actors played Macbeth in a single
week” according to Nathaniel Hirtle and Marco Saad, could be attributed to
simply an unfortunate series of event that happened to occur to actors of
Macbeth, since the play is very popular. The curse attributed to the specific
play could be no more than bad luck that could happen to any play production,
not specifically “Macbeth”. The recurring injuries and misfortunes during the
production of “Macbeth” plays could be in a series of bad luck instead of a
curse.
Next, the play “Macbeth” has an
environment that is dangerous to the actors, which could contribute to the
large amount of accidents experienced. Daria Plumb states that the way the play
was written could be considered rational reasons for the curse, including dim
lighting, a large amount of stage combat, and a “logical last-minute addition
to a company's repertoire”. The dim lighting could reduce visibility and
increase accidents from falling, while the stage combat could easily cause
physical injury. Since many companies choose the play as a last-minute
addition, it is sometimes under-rehearsed, which increased the chance for an
accident to occur. Injuries from falling, stage combat, and under-rehearsal remain
possible causes of the large amount of accidents, instead of the superstitious
curse that is part of the play.
Finally, the myth surrounding
“Macbeth” revolves around Shakespeare’s use of incantations angering witches,
who cursed the play forever. Daria Plumb explains that with the instructions of
witchery included in the play, the ritual practitioners were not pleased and
then “cast an everlasting spell on the play”. Then, ever since the first
production in 1606, the play has been believed to flirt with the “Powers of
Evil”, perhaps explaining the constant misfortunes during the play, which occur
so often that many believe in the curse. Due to supernatural incidents like a
large number of deaths to people involved in the play and a history of sickness
to actors in the play, there is a plausible theory to many people that
“Macbeth” is really cursed.
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