We have examined William Shakespeare's many examples of the supernatural world. For example, the witches and ghosts that appear in the play, Macbeth. We have also learned that the reason for this was most likely to please King James I, who believed in the supernatural and witch hunts.
But, did you know that Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, is involved in one of the biggest theatrical superstitions?
Actors inside a theatre avoid mentioning anything about the play Macbeth, even its name. The reason for this is because the play is said to be cursed. Why is it cursed? According to legend, the actor who played Lady Macbeth died during the first performance, and Shakespeare himself had to continue the role.
Apart from just saying the name "Macbeth" inside a theatre production, it is also forbidden to say lines from the play. To get around this, actors usually use the euphemism "The Scottish Play" in place of the banned word. But, if an actor does speak about the play, he or she must leave the theatre, spin around three times, spit, then curse, and then knock on the door before going back inside.
Another example of popular theatre superstition is the phrase, "break a leg". It is believed that the reason behind this expression is because saying "good luck" to an actor will bring them bad luck.
So, other actors would instead wish their fellow performers "bad luck" in order to reverse the system and give them good luck in return. Throughout time, somehow, the expression came to be "break a leg", which when you think about it, actually is another way of saying "bad luck" as breaking a leg during the performance would not be a good thing.
There are also a couple lesser known superstitions. One saying is that an empty theatre must always have a light on. Whistling on stage is also said to bring bad luck. In addition, there are a multitude of ghosts stories and conspiracies in almost every old theatre.
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