19 July 2009

Manic Monday - Curse




Round about the caldron go;
In the poison'd entrails throw.—
Toad, that under cold stone,
Days and nights has thirty-one;
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot!

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,—
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
Scale of dragon; tooth of wolf;
Witches' mummy; maw and gulf
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark;
Root of hemlock digg'd i the dark;
Liver of blaspheming Jew;
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse;
Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips;
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,—
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingrediants of our caldron.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.


Supposedly because Shakespeare included real curses used by witches during his time, the witches placed a curse on "The Scottish Play" that exists to this day and requires specific actions to ward off disaster should you be foolish enough to utter the name of the play while inside a theater. The story of all the different disaster that have beset the producers and actors since 1604 can be found at
The Curse of Macbeth

For pure fun or just to find some curses other than the rather boring ones we use these days, there is the Elizbethan Curse Generator. Have fun being insulting or running up a few choice insults for your friends and acquaintances who have wronged you in some fashion.

For the Appropriate video: Witchy Woman by the Eagles



6 comments:

Unknown said...

The middle one looks like a Nun that I had when I was in the sixth grade: She was a real witch, and it took me a long-long time to get over the spell....she cast....so...

Fire and Brimstone:

Double, double, toil and trouble.
The bite of a Vampire
will sooth my ire.
And a ride through space on the telescope.....called Hubble.
Double, double, toil and trouble.....make this happen-right now...on the double!!

Unknown said...

Jamie,

Paul= Solar...It just came out that way, when I hit publish....

Unknown said...

The middle one looks like a Nun that I had when I was in the sixth grade: She was a real witch, and it took me a long-long time to get over the spell....she cast....so...

Fire and Brimstone:

Double, double, toil and trouble.
The bite of a Vampire
will sooth my ire.
And a ride through space on the telescope.....called Hubble.
Double, double, toil and trouble.....make this happen-right now...on the double!!

Travis Cody said...

Something wicked this way comes!

The phrase appears as part of the lyrics of a song for Prisoner of Azkaban, written by John Williams and based on the words found in the play. It also appeard on the posters for the film.

Macbeth is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays.

carol g said...

Why is that now, in my older age, I understand Shakespear?

Glad you chose this one, Jamie.

Kathleen Cowley said...

Love the subject! Your versatility never ceases to amaze me.