question about two works of literature.

[Mystic Muse]

1. why is Macbeth considered unlucky to say?

2. (completely unrelated) is there a sequel to "blood legacy the house of alexander"? the ending seemed a bit too open and I want some more closure.

[Flame of Anor]

1. The play is considered, sometimes in earnest, to be cursed. There are several examples of strange accidents happening at productions of "The Scottish Play", as it is euphemistically referred to. Here is a list that I got from a wobsite devoted to the supposed curse:

During the first performance of Macbeth, William Shakespeare himself was forced to play Lady Macbeth when the boy designated to play her suddenly became overcome with sickness and died. King James was so displeased with the play that it was banned for five years. In Amsterdam in 1672, the actor playing Macbeth substituted the blunt stage dagger with a real one, and with killed his co-actor playing Duncan right in front of the live audience. There was even an incident in 1721 where the army had to be called in. Some hecklers were annoying some of the actors on the stage. The actors responded by attacking the hecklers with their swords. During its 1849 performance at New York's Astor Place, 31 people were trampled to death in a riot that had broken out. In 1934, British actor Malcolm Keen turned mute on stage, and his replacement developed a high fever and had to be hospitalized. In 1937, a 25 pound stage weight crashed within an inch of him Laurence Olivier (who was playing Macbeth). Not only that, but his sword broke on stage flew into the audience, hitting a man who later suffered a heart attack. And if you think that was enough bad luck for one production, think again. Both the director and the actress playing Lady Macduff were involved in a car accident on the way to the theater, and the proprietor of the theater died of a heart attack during the dress rehearsal. In the 1942, three actors in another production of Macbeth died, and the costume and set designer committed suicide. Diana Wynyard sleepwalked off the rostrum in 1948 and feel down 15 feet. In Bermuda, 1953, Charlton Heston suffered severe burns in his groin and leg from tights that were accidentally soaked in kerosene. Rip Torn's seemed to be unable to get away from the curse no matter how many times he tried. An actor's strike struck his 1970 production in New York City, two fires and seven robberies plagued the 1971 version, and finally J. Kenneth Campbell, who played Macduff, was mugged soon after the play's opening in the 1981 production. And finally, it was Macbeth that Abraham Lincoln chose to take with him on board the River Queen on the Potomac River one afternoon. The president was reading to a group of friends passages of the play that happened to follow the scene in which Duncan was assassinated. Within a week, President Lincoln himself was assassinated.

2. I have no idea.

[Tharivol123]

1. why is Macbeth considered unlucky to say?

The play is considered cursed. There are many instances (I say coincidences at an abnormal rate) where productions of the play have befallen tragedies. Theaters burnt down, actors injured/maimed/killed, and I believe on one occasion a hurricane or tornado on opening night.

For information of the start of the curse mythology Wikipedia does a good job of it.

edit: Ninja'd. Wish I knew why I get a window of about 20 minutes where my internet slows waaaaay down around midnight every night.

[Mystic Muse]

yeah I imagine not many people have read the book. I just thought that a forum as densely populated as this might have some clue as to whether there's a sequel.

[Tharivol123]

Google is a wonderful tool. House of Alexander is actually the second in a trilogy. You want Blood Legacy: Heir to the Throne for the sequel and Blood Legacy: Story of Ryan for the one before it. All can be found here.

Never heard of them before you asked.

[Mystic Muse]

thank you.


YAY CLOSURE! (hopefully) haven't read the first but the second is pretty. you know. just in case you feel like reading a new book sometime.

[BlueWizard]

1) Every production I've worked on or saw something happened.
I was the only superstitious one the last time I did it. The whole cast was downright rude with it. And guess who broke his finger when he was killing big M. Yep, me as MacDuff.

2) Sorry, nothing here.