The Scottish Play

I don't really care that much for reading The Scottish Play because I'm actually very superstitious about saying the name of The Scottish Play. Also I really dislike the fact that we aren't reading the old English text, but instead are forced to read the modern English. I do; however, like the idea of Reader's Theatre. Unfortunately not everybody in the class likes participating in the vocal acting required, or even reading out loud.

This is a very good play that I feel we should learn about, but it doesn't make me excited to read it because I have had to read so many Shakespearean plays in the past four years that it makes me groan to think about it. The only thing that I was excited for when you said that we would be reading The Scottish Play was that we would be reading it in Shakespearean text. Honestly now that we aren't I could care less about reading it.

I can't really think of anything else that bothers me about The Scottish Play. Therefore, I'll just talk a little about the myths and tradgedies enveloping The Scottish Play. There are multiple theories as to why there is a curse on the show. One of them says that Shakespeare was given a few lines from an actual coven of witches who, after seeing the show, were angry at Shakespeare, and cursed the play. Another theory is that the propmaster for the original show couldn't find a suitable pot for the cauldron so he stole one from a coven of wtiches who cursed the show for the theft. It is said that if you break the taboo of The Scottish Play that the ghosts of the witches will come back, and cause mishaps. The most spectacular of the theories is that Shakespeare himself put the curse on the play as a fail safe that only he would be able to direct it.

Most people know that it's bad luck to say the name of The Scottish Play while in the theater. It is actually such bad luck that people have died due to freak accidents because they didn't follow the "countercurse" rehearsal process. A while back a kid I knew had said the name of The Scottish Play while doing technical work for a show, and a set piece that hadn't been properly weighted fell and nearly killed him.

My friend's mom works in different areas of the theatre. While she was working on a show a new kid said the name of The Scottish Play while on stage. Not five minutes later an electrical bar in the fly system fell to the ground and almost hit some of the other kids. The only way to counter-act the curse of saying the name of The Scottish Play in a theatre is to go out of the building, spin around three times, spit, curse/say a line from another Shakespeare play, then knock and wait to be allowed back in.

If you are putting on The Scottish Play there are certain things you do in rehearsals to avoid activating the "curse." A major thing is calling the lead male "The Lord/Kind of The Scottish Play" until you put it up for an audience to see. You call his wife "The Lady of The Scottish Play." The most important part of this rehearsal process is that you don't say the last line of the play until opening night.

All in all, my favorite part of reading The Scottish Play is thinking about the all the different superstitions surrounding the portrayal of the show. There's something oddly fascinating about the "curse" that was put on this play.