The Cursed Play

1. Macbeth The Cursed Play By: Aaron The Great

3. This is the tale of Aaron Davis answering questions about Macbeth“The Cursed Play” It will be thrilling, entertaining, and informational. Sit back enjoy the pop corn and enjoy the slides.

4. There will be no popcorn

6. Shall we begin?

7. Chapter 1

9. It is said that Shakespeare's Macbeth is a cursed Play.  What are the reasons behind this accusation and what real things have occurred to support this statement? 

10. In scene IV Shakespeare reproduced a sacred black magic ritual in which a group of witches danced about a black cauldron. Shouting out strange phrases and ingredients to be thrown onto it. The practitioners of rituals such as this one were not very amused by Shakespeare’s public exposure of their witchcraft, and as punishment they decided to cast their own spell on the play Macbeth that still haunts it to this day. Works Cited: Jones, Robert T. "The Curse of Macbeth." Prodigy's Personal Web Pages. Web. 03 Feb. 2010. <http://home.flash.net/~manniac/macb.htm>.

11. Beginning with its first performance, in 1606, Dear Will himself was forced to play Lady Macbeth when Hal Berridge, the boy designated to play the lady with a peculiar notion of hospitality, became inexplicably feverish and died. Moreover, the bloody play so displeased King James I that he banned it for five years. When performed in Amsterdam in 1672, the actor playing Macbeth substituted a real dagger for the blunted stage one and with it killed Duncan in full view of the entranced audience. As Lady Macbeth, Sarah Siddons was nearly ravaged by a disapproving audience in 1775; Sybil Thorndike was almost strangled by a burly actor in 1926; Diana Wynyard sleepwalked off the rostrum in 1948, falling down 15 feet. During its 1849 performance at New York's Astor Place, a riot broke out in which 31 people were trampled to death. In 1937, when Laurence Olivier took on the role of Macbeth, a 25 pound stage weight crashed within an inch of him, and his sword which broke onstage flew into the audience and hit a man who later suffered a heart attack. In 1934, British actor Malcolm Keen turned mute onstage, and his replacement, Alister Sim, like Hal Berridge before him, developed a high fever and had to be hospitalized. In the 1942 Macbeth production headed by John Gielgud, three actors -- Duncan and two witches -- died, and the costume and set designer committed suicide amidst his devilish Macbeth creations. The indestructible Charlton Heston, in an outdoor production in Bermuda in 1953, suffered severe burns in his groin and leg area from tights that were accidentally soaked in kerosene. An actor's strike felled Rip Torn's 1970 production in New York City; two fires and seven robberies plagued the 1971 version starring David Leary; in the 1981 production at Lincoln Center, J. Kenneth Campbell, who played Macduff, was mugged soon after the play's opening. Works Cited: Tritsch, Dina. "The Curse of 'Macbeth'" Pret allez. Web. 03 Feb. 2010. <http://pretallez.com/onstage/theatre/broadway/macbeth/macbeth_curse.html>.

12. Supposedly, saying the name "Macbeth" inside a theater will bring bad luck to the play and anyone acting in it. The only exception is when the word is spoken as a line in the play. In order to reverse the bad luck, the person who uttered the word must exit the theater, spin around three times saying a profanity, and then ask for permission to return inside. There are several other variations of this ritual that involve spitting over your shoulders or simply letting out a stream of cuss words. Some say that you must repeat the words "Thrice around the circle bound, Evil sink into the ground," or you can turn to Will himself for assistance and cleanse the air with a quotation from Hamlet. Works Cited: Jones, Robert T. "The Curse of Macbeth." Prodigy's Personal Web Pages. Web. 03 Feb. 2010. <http://home.flash.net/~manniac/macb.htm>.

14. Should Lady Macbeth be the same age as Lord Macbeth?  Chapter 2

15. If not same age, she should be close. Old guys and there old things are just nasty with a young girl. She wants money, he knows it, she knows it, we know it. It’s just not correct.

16. Works Cited: A creative mind…. Aaron’s

18. What do the predictions made by the three witches mean and what is the significance that there are three weird sisters and why the term sisters? Chapter 3

19. Pretty Picture

20. Works Cited: Found on Google

22. Who is the historical figure of Macbeth? Chapter 4

23. Macbeth the King of Scotland. (1040 to 1057)

24. Works Cited: Ellis, Peter Berresford, MacBeth, High King of Scotland, 1040-57AD, London: F. Muller, 1980. http://www.answers.com/topic/macbeth-of-scotland

26. Is Macbeth a good man who grows into a villain?  Chapter 5

27. Depending on your views & According to Philosophy Yes if you think so Or No if your beliefs tell you no

28. Works Cited: Aaron wonderful mind. Along with a few viewpoints by Clay

30. Tomorrow Speech Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day Til the last syllable of recorded time. And all our yesterdays light fools the way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle, life is but a walking shadow, A poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage Then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, Full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

31. Whoooo!!