A recent article about a Shakespearean production referred to the play in question as “The Scottish Play.” For the uninitiated, “The Scottish Play” is an alternative way to refer to Shakespeare’s supernatural tragedy Macbeth. The term is most popular among theatre folk who believe it is bad luck to say the play’s name inside a theatre. As evidenced by the article, however, it has become so widespread that even in print, the play goes unnamed. Since we do not call Hamlet “The Danish Play” or Cymbeline “The Poorly Structured Play,” why is Macbeth the play that dare not speak its name?

Theories about the pseudonym’s origin abound, but have little evidence to support them. Since Macbeth has more fight scenes than many of his other plays, some believe that real weapons somehow made their way onstage in the first production, resulting in the deaths of some actors. If this Brandon Lee–esque theory sounds like hogwash, another legend purports that the actor playing Lady Macbeth died a few days prior to the opening of the initial production. Since the show had to go on, Shakespeare performed the role (badly) and King James was so displeased with the production that the play became a costly flop and fell out of the repertory for a time due to its bad reputation.

We’ll never know the reason Macbeth is the bogeyman among The Bard’s works. For those who are bold (or careless) enough to utter its name in a theatre, there are a number of “cures.” Most of these involving spinning in a circle and reciting verse from other Shakespearean plays. This may seem silly, but if you’ve ever thrown salt over one shoulder or locked yourself in dark room with a mirror and chanted “Bloody Mary,” you know that a little superstition can go a long way.