The notion that Macbeth is an unlucky play, whose name should never be mentioned in a theatre except during performance and rehearsal, only seems to have emerged in the early 20th century. Between the 1st and 2nd World Wars, a ritual evolved in which anyone who said 'Macbeth' instead of 'the Scottish play' had to leave the theatre, turn round three times, spit, curse then knock to be let back in. Though a 'fake history' of disasters dating back to Shakespeare's time was constructed, Macbeth usually proved to be a lucky play. A perennial crowd pleaser, it brought in good revenue. #history #folklore #mythology #weird #Shakespeare #theatre #gothic