“Macbeth,” William Shakespeare's shortest play, first performed in 1606, contains more than its fair share of murder and mayhem. The gruesome play delighted audiences in the 17th century.

It appears those early play-goers couldn't get enough of blood and guts, even though many of the early theatrical effects produced terrible odors, according to Rachel Dankert, learning and engagement librarian at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.

Dankert talked about the history of those hideous props during an April 4 presentation at the Lewes Public Library 2022 Shakespeare Festival titled “This Talk Stinks: the Surprisingly Vile Elements of Staging ‘Macbeth.’”

Events are scheduled throughout the month, concluding with a performance of “Romeo and Juliet” by Classic Theatre of Maryland at 2 p.m., Sunday, April 24, at Cape Henlopen High School.

Many people are well acquainted with the story of Macbeth, the Scottish general who received a prophecy of his impending greatness from three witches, that leads him to murder King Duncan and seize the crown. His tyrannical rule turns into a bloodbath and a civil war as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth slip into madness. And as is the way with many 17th century tragedies, the play ends with Macbeth's severed head on a pole for public display.

Dankert said there are existing books that explain in great detail the messy and stinky props used to stage the play. The books also show how props changed according to the morals and tastes of the times. She said for many years, the play's gory end was modified and the beheading was removed from the script.

Stage managers and directors of the play have used a variety of concoctions and special effects throughout the centuries, including ways to stage the infamous bubbling cauldron used by the witches.

Blood and guts were the workhorse props in the play, she said, which included several murder scenes and the mention of blood 40 times. It seems the more blood they got, the more those early theater audiences wanted. Animal blood from sheep, goats and cows was extensively used.

Dankert said because of the cost and time to make costumes, actors came on stage already covered in blood-soaked garments, which were used over and over again. “That is why so many deaths took place offstage,” she said.

Dankert said actors learned to soak small sponges in animal's blood, place them between their fingers and squeeze to simulate spontaneous bleeding. “Bleeding and mortal wounds became in vogue,” she said.

Dankert said early theater-goers expected the death and beheading of Macbeth. “And they thrilled at the lifelike props before them,” she said. “In fact, it became a theatrical trend of displaying severed heads.”

Most of those heads, and other body parts, were made of wax, and a ruptured sheep's bladder filled with blood added to the effects.

David Garrick (1717-79), an English actor, playwright and theater manager, is credited with bringing Shakespeare's work to contemporary audiences. Dankert said his production of “Macbeth” did not include the murder scene and beheading of the king.

“And the severed head was lost for the next 150 years,” she said.

For centuries, Dankert said, real fire was used onstage, and ways to control it, such as burning hemp and tallow, were developed early on. Squibs were used for pyrotechnics to imitate lightning and thunder. The squibs, which are still used today in pyrotechnic effects, created a burst of flame and a powerful smell created by the detonation of saltpeter.

Because of the odors caused by pyrotechnics and animal blood (not to mention the odors from the streets around playhouses), several things were done in those early open-air theaters to mask the smells, including burning fragrant plants or incense and smoking tobacco, Dankert said.

In the late mid-1700s, she said, the use of lycopodium powder to imitate lightning, flashes and torches became commonplace. Red or blue fire made by burning metal salts and sulfur, creating a vile odor, was also used.

Dry ice, to simulate low fog or smoke, also became popular, but carried the danger of frostbite and suffocation.

Dankert said there was an extreme danger of fires or explosions, which led to some 1,100 major theater fires in the 19th century.

For more information on the festival or to register, go to tinyurl.com/ShakeItUp2022.

The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.