"What play is seldom referred to in theatre by its own name but called instead ""the Scottish play""?"
The Scottish Play The Scottish Play The Scottish Play and The Bard's Play are euphemisms for William Shakespeare's "Macbeth". The first is a reference to the play's Scottish setting, the second a reference to Shakespeare's popular nickname. According to a theatrical superstition, called the "Scottish curse", speaking the name "Macbeth" inside a theatre will cause disaster. A variation of the superstition also forbids quoting it within a theatre except as part of an actual rehearsal or performance of the play. Because of this superstition, the lead character is most often referred to as the "Scottish King" or "Scottish Lord". Lady Macbeth is often
The Scottish Play bitterly disappointed and would only refer to the play as "that Scottish play" for the rest of his life. When the name of the play is spoken in a theatre, tradition requires the person who spoke it to leave, perform traditional cleansing rituals, and be invited back in. The rituals are supposed to ward off the evil that uttering the play's name is feared to bring on. The rituals include turning three times, spitting over one's left shoulder, swearing, or reciting a line from another of Shakespeare's plays. Popular lines for this purpose include, "Angels and ministers of grace defend