Welcome to BrainStuff, a production of I-Heart Radio.

Hi Brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here with another classic episode from our podcast archives.

This one has to do with Shakespeare's Scottish play and

why it's referred to as that sometimes and how the idea that it's cursed may have

gotten started.

Hey there, Brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here.

If you're listening in a theater,

you might want to save this one for later,

because today we're talking about the Scottish play.

William Shakespeare's Traged Macbeth is steeped in Today we're talking about the Scottish play.

William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth is steeped in deceit, murder, and manipulation,

and surrounded by real life superstitions.

Enough that plenty of theatre professionals and enthusiasts won't even say the word Macbeth

outside of the actual staging of a show. In the play the Scottish General Macbeth

returns home from the battlefield and encounters three witches who make a trio of

prophecies. Many playgoers and performers believe

that incantations in Macbeth were genuine curses taken from an actual

coven. It's certainly one explanation for all of the injuries, accidents, and illnesses that have befallen

so many of the people involved with its productions.

For example, during the first performance of Big Beth in the early 1600s, the actor portraying

Lady Macbeth fell ill and died on stage forcing Shakespeare

to take over the role. In later performances, theater goers sometimes became so caught up

...