Macbeth Superstition Research Paper

William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a dark play both literally and symbolically. The Tone of the play is ominous and its central characters are evil. The play is considered to be a

Theater today is a means of entertainment. People go to see shows to enjoy a couple

Superstition in William Shakespeare's Macbeth Throughout Elizabethan times, Witches and witchcraft were considered to be in existence. Seeing a large proportion of the female community being condemned to death, which involved either drowning, hanging or being burnt at the stake was quite plausible at this time. Such savage practices were urged on by macabre and fevered fantasy of the supernatural. In my essay I intend examining how Shakespeare deployed this obsession of superstition in Macbeth and how it is a crucial element of the play. To begin with, the tone of the paranormal theme is set right from the beginning when

I’ve adored theatre for as long as I can remember. From writing plays throughout elementary school, to being involved in Drama Club in middle school, to performing in community theatre in high school, and to visiting the theatre as often as I could from the very beginning, theatre has always been a part of my life. Every aspect of it engages me: the directors working to bring their vision of the show’s scenes, choreography, or music to life, the actors transforming into different characters through their expression of dialogue, song, or dance, the costumers and set-builders transporting the audience into the setting and time period with their artistry, the backstage tech and crew working quickly and precisely to keep the show flowing to curtain call, and the orchestra bringing the show to life through music. There is nothing like the experience of live theatre, both as a member of the audience and as a member of the cast and crew.

Edwards acknowledges that this taboo, along with several other behaviors such as whistling backstage and wishing fellow performers good luck, as strictly off-limits for almost every stage actor he’s met. These behaviors stem from the culture of theater more so than any actual patterns observed by individual performers, but they still are taken very seriously to ward off bad luck or injuries during performances.

Poor people called the groundlings, or penny knaves, were famous their love of plays.  They would pay one penny to stand in front of the stage in an area called the open yard. Going to a play was a lively event.  Groundlings would frequently talk, yell, and even throw things (think rotten produce, etc.) during the play. If the audience liked or did not like the play or the actors, the groundlings would let everyone in the theater know it. Rich people would even sit on stage and make comments to the audience during the play. The most expensive seats in a theater were the in the top row of the theater, farthest from the audience.  The cheap seats were directly in front of the stage, although people in this area stood. Rich people would want to

The play “Macbeth” is a tragedy, because of Macbeth; the hero aspect in the play is brought to ruin. Although he is not an idealistic hero, he’s the main character and suffers great loss, even death; the witches had caused him to bring it upon himself, by misleading his blind ambition.

From the Ancient Greeks, to the Romans, and all the way to present day New York City, theatre is a tradition that has been passed down for thousands of years. The art of expression through live performance is something that will never go out of style. The history of Broadway is a rollercoaster with flourishing highs and devastating lows, but they both have significantly contributed to shaping the industry into the prosperous business that it is today.

“Sure as the day, follows the night, sure as the sky turns to blue, this much I know, this much is true, above all else in whatever you do, to thine own self be true.” This quote, written by John O'Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick for the musical Something Rotten, is a play off of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Carrying on Greek and European traditions of live theatre, Broadway entertains our current generation with two and a half overpriced hours of sitting in the dark surrounded by strangers. At least, that’s how my mother describes it, as she despises my expensive hobby.

Macbeth is a famous play which was written by William Shakespeare in 1606. The play explores various themes throughout its course, as it demonstrates how far a man’s aspirations can cause him to go. Undoubtedly, it is one of the bloodiest plays that Shakespeare has written, with the main character Macbeth senselessly shedding blood after blood. Clearly, it was his strong desire for power that led him to kill countless people so that he could maintain his position on the throne. His doom was made inevitable due to the self-assured personality he had developed.

“Theatre makes us think about power and the way our society works and it does this with a clear purpose, to make a change.”

All places of entertainment, including the Globe Theater, have closed down because of this cursed plague. Myself and other Elizabethan actors lost our jobs because of this plague and because of we have no income my family and I have very little food to pass around. However I’m glad that the theatres are closed, for they would be a breeding ground for the plague to spread.

Today's effects of television on the theatre are big in good and bad ways. The good thing television can do for the theatre is advertise and show clips from the play. People also like to hear what other people think and there are shows on television that will do that. Television can also show the plays in full, which can be good and or bad. The way it could be good is seeing the play on television could make someone want to see it live, than again once someone sees it they may never want to see it again. Another thing that goes along with television is a VCR if someone wants to see something bad enough they can go rent it or tape it for every time they want to see it in the future. Now there are even channels that are dedicated to showing only stuff from the stage.

There were other amenities that were lacking for the theaters. Almost all the lighting for the theater was natural light. This meant that most plays would have to be show during the daytime. The theaters did not have heating either. In the winter months they would have to shut the theater down and be transferred to indoor playhouses. This actually helped boost popularity because it gave the people something to do during the cold winter months since it was inside. There were no microphones or soundboards to be able to hear so actors had to speak loudly and clearly. Unfortunately, there were also no toilets at the theater. “But there were no toilets and the floor they stood on was probably just sand, ash or covered in nutshells” (Shakespeare Globe Education). During the summer hours when it would become real hot the pit would be called the “stinkards.”

Theatre is an art that transcends time and builds a new world for the audience atop the stage. A play is defined as “a dramatic composition” or “the stage representation of an action or story” (The Merriam-Webster Dictionary). This refers to drama being performed live by actors on a stage. Ancient Greece is accredited to inventing theatre and drama. In Greece during that time, at the height of popularity, were the stories of the well known flawed heroes and their journeys.