The Curse of Macbeth
As I've mentioned here before, I'm not a superstitious person, but I am interested in superstitions, and I also think that some even have a grain of sense. Walking under ladders doesn't bring bad luck, it's just a stupid thing to do. Opening an umbrella indoors likewise. Not walking on the cracks in the pavement? No, I don't see much use in
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Cool! As long as somebody else does the translation :-)
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The superstition actually began in the old days of stock companies, which would struggle at all times to remain in business. Frequently, near the end of a season a stock company would realize that it was not going to break even and, in an attempt to boost ticket sales and attendance, would announce production of a crowd favorite . . . MacBeth.
If times were particularly bad, even 'the bard's play' would not be enough to save the company, therefore, MacBeth often presaged the end of a company's season, and would frequently be a portent of the company's demise.
Therefore, the fear of MacBeth was generally the fear of bad business and of an entire company being put out of work.
Of course it is unsubstantiated. I don't know if Macbeth used to be a popular play, but that explanation ( ... )
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It's possible, I guess. I don't see even a superstitious bunch like actors getting from "Even Macbeth didn't work" to "Macbeth is unlucky", though. However, I did mean to mention that theory, because the frequency with which it is performed is another factor increasing the likelihood of disasters being associated with it.
I don't really know how long the "curse" has been around, or what "old days of stock companies" they are talking about - stock companies were around for centuries, and I'd be very surprised if Macbeth's popularity hasn't waxed and waned during that time. When it was first written it was a flop, and wasn't performed again for "a while" (memory gone, can't find source, blah blah).
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