Many people believe that there is a terrible curse that has been placed on Shakespeare's Macbeth. Since the premiere of Macbeth in 1606, a series of unfortunate events have occurred that have influenced superstitions in the theater world, which have inspired traditions now common in theaters, such as never whistling on or off the stage, never wishing good luck, and , more famously, never talk about "Macbeth" in the theater unless you are performing it. (Molly…)In 1604, William Shakespeare, trying to please King James I, put caution and imagination aside and for the opening scene of Act IV of Macbeth reproduced a 17th-century black magic ritual. Without changing an ingredient, Old Will gave his audience step-by-step instructions in the stealthy art of spell-casting: Macbeth was written for King James I. In this time period, approximately nine million women were put to death for being accused as witches. The king was very interested in witchcraft, so Shakespeare incorporated it into Macbeth. (Hanske/Monson) Belief in the reality and power of witches was widespread in Shakespeare's time. The practice of witchcraft was believed to threaten the traditional order of religion and society, and was therefore not tolerated. Witch hunts were a respectable and ethical hunt for much of the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. (Riedel…)Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most popular plays, but not many people know about the superstitions surrounding Macbeth. There is an ancient belief that when Shakespeare created a sacred black magic ritual in which a group of witches danced around a black cauldron, shouting incantations in the opening scene of Act IV, without changing an ingredient, he provided the her public step-by-step instructions in...... middle of paper......lained-mysteries.com/column.php?id=160421>.Molly. "Top Ten Theatrical Superstitions." Listverse. Np, 20 August 2010. Web. 9Nov. 2011. top-10-theatrical-superstitions/>. Riedel, Jennifer. "The Influence of the Witches on Macbeth." http://web.uvic.ca. Np, 26 February 1966. Web. 5 December 2011.ISShakespeare/Resources/Witches/Witches.html>.The Straight Dope Science Advisory Board. "What is the story of Macbeth's curse?" Straightdope.com. Np, 16 October 2007. Web. 6 December 2011.what-is-the-story-of-the-curse-of-em-macbeth-em>.Tritsch, Dina. "The Curse of 'Macbeth.'" Pretallez.com. Np, April 1984. Web. 9Nov. 2011.macbeth_curse.html>.