Final answer:
During Shakespeare's time, people had superstitions related to theatre performances, including whistling backstage, saying the name of Macbeth, and wishing good luck.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Shakespeare's time, people had several superstitions. One superstition was that whistling backstage brought bad luck because it could disrupt the cues and scene changes triggered by whistles.
Another superstition was associated with Macbeth, as many theatre people believed that saying the play's name out loud could bring bad luck, so they referred to it as 'The Scottish Play' instead.
Superstitions also existed outside of the theatre, such as the belief that wishing anyone involved in a production 'Good Luck!' before a show might bring the opposite, so instead the expression 'Break A Leg!' was used.
During Shakespeare's era, superstitions were quite prevalent in society, and the theatre was no exception. Three notable superstitions from this period are:
The belief in the ghost light, a single bulb left lit on stage to keep ghosts at bay in an otherwise dark theater.
The curse associated with Shakespeare's "Macbeth", often referred to as "The Scottish Play" to avoid bad luck.
The idea that whistling backstage could bring bad luck, which originally stemmed from the potential confusion it could cause in an era when whistles were used for cueing stage actions.
These practices reflect a blend of superstition and practicality that influenced the theatrical culture of that time and still lingers in some forms within modern theatre.