3.  It is believed that Macbeth was first performed between 1605 and 1606.  In this era there was a huge demand for new entertainment and the drama would have been produced immediately following the completion of the play.  Shakespeare knew that a play featuring witches would attract theatre goers and increase his audience and revenue.  He would also have been aware that King James I was extremely interested in witches and sorcery, having written a book called Daemonologie (Demonology) describing the demonic rites of witches.  Shakespeare really could not lose with Macbeth when it was performed in 1605, two years after James acceded to the throne of England.

4.  The real Macbeth took the throne of Scotland in 1040, after killing his cousin King Duncan I in a battle near Elgin in the Moray district of Scotland.  Duncan's eldest son, Malcolm, ended Macbeth's reign in 1057 by killing him in battle and later assuming the throne as Malcolm III.  The real Lady Macbeth's first name was Gruoch, although this is not mentioned in the play, and he was her second husband.

7.  This drama is one of the great tragedy themed plays by William Shakespeare.  The themes illustrated in the play include ambition, fate, deception and treachery.  Three witches decide to confront the great Scottish general Macbeth on his victorious return from a war between Scotland and Norway.  The Scottish king, Duncan, decides that he will confer the title of the traitorous Cawdor on the heroic Macbeth. Macbeth, and another General called Banquo, happen upon the three witches.

8.  The witches predict that he will one day become king. He decides that he will murder Duncan and Macbeth's wife agrees to his plan.  He then murders Duncan assisted by his wife who smears the blood of Duncan on the daggers of the sleeping guards.  A nobleman called Macduff discovers the body. Macbeth kills the guards insisting that their daggers smeared with Duncan's blood are proof that they committed the murder.  The crown passes to Macbeth. More murders ensue and a bloodied ghost appears to Macbeth.  Lady Macbeth's conscience now begins to torture her and she imagines that she can see her hands covered with blood.  What will happen to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth?

11.  There is no other superstition as well known in the theatre world as that of the "curse of Macbeth."  It is thought to be extremely bad luck to say the name "Macbeth" anywhere near a theatre.  Actors and theatre personnel instead, refer to Shakespeare's Macbeth as "the Scottish play."  Actors refer to the lead characters as the Mac-ers, Lady M, and other nicknames.  This superstition goes back to the 1600's.  Many felt that the witches incantations Shakespeare wrote, were in fact real and that was what led to many coincidental catastrophes.  The play has some major sword fights and battles that could give it more opportunities for accidents than other plays as well.

12.  If an actor accidentally mentions the name Macbeth they are expected leave the theater, spit three times, spin three times while cursing, and then ask permission to return to the theater.

13.  1606: First production. The boy playing Lady Macbeth became feverish and died backstage. Rumor has it that Shakespeare himself played the role.  1672: Amsterdam. The actor playing Macbeth substituted a real dagger for the stage dagger and killed the actor playing Duncan, in full view of the audience.  1703: Opening day. England was hit with one of the most violent storms in its history. 500 seamen died.  1849: a riot in which more than 30 people died at the Astor Place Opera House  April 9, 1865: Abraham Lincoln was reading passages from Macbeth (scenes following Duncan’s assassination) aloud to some friends. Within a week, Lincoln was himself assassinated.

14.  The third witch fell ill and died of a heart attack during the final rehearsal.  The actor playing King Duncan died of angina.  A witch was dancing around the cauldron, but would not maintain the tempo of the music. She collapsed and died on stage.  The set designer committed suicide.

15.  The director was nearly killed in a car crash. Lady M was badly bruised as well.  Laurence Olivier lost his voice and almost died when a weight from the stage lights came tumbling down.  The founder of the theater had a heart attack and died on opening night.  A member of the audience was hit by a fragment of Olivier’s sword and then died of a heart attack.

16.  His tights had been accidentally soaked in kerosene. He suffered severe burns on his groin and leg.

17.  1954: Company manager broke both legs in a car accident and an electrician sustained severe burns.  1961: Connecticut: One actor, while riding his bike, was hit by a car. One of the witches fell from a stage lift. One actor was found dying of stab wounds (the murdered was never found). The company manager was murdered in his Boston apt.

18.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LKMktAN4hc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LKMktAN4hc  History of the Curse (2 minutes)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Daz_OpMfBmg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Daz_OpMfBmg  One man’s story (1 minute)

19.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clG8ha2D26gwww.youtube.com/watch?v=clG8ha2D26g  As you watch the video clip, make notes about what is going on in the scene and decide which version is your favorite (the best).  In a one page response, compare and contrast the three clips and explain which one you think is the best and why.