Back in Medieval times, threes were considered extremely unlucky. It was often considered the "unlucky trinity" that brought about unhappy events. This is no different in Shakespeare's play Macbeth, where unfortunate events occur every time the number three is seen.
To begin, every time the number three comes up in this play, a hapless event is sure to follow. Macbeth starts with the appearance of three witches. These three come up time and time again to toy with Macbeth. In the very beginning, the witches foreshadow their coming appearances when the first witch asks "[w]hen shall we three meet again/In thunder, lightening, or in rain" (1.1.1-2)? They appear several more times as the play unravels. The three witches, also called the weird sisters, …show more content…
They declared that he would be the thane of two places and the king of one place, saying, "All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter" (1.3.48-50)! The witches jovially granted this knowledge to Macbeth but deeply regretted it when they saw how it changed him. Once they got MacBeth's hopes up, indirectly encouraging him to kill the king and attempt to swipe the throne, a ghost appeared to share with Macbeth the apparitions that the witches had cooked up. It delivered the first apparition: "...beware Macduff; Beware the thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough." (4:1: 71-72). The second apparition came without a second to lose: "Be bloody, bold, and resolute; [...] for none of woman born/ Shall harm Macbeth" (4.1.79-81). It is all wrapped up once the third and final apparition is announced: "...Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until Great Birman wood to High Dunsinane hill/Shall come against him" (4.1.92-94). Macbeth is not worried because, just as he thought he was above the witches and any curse they could come up with, he was too proud to think those apparitions would ever prove
To begin, every time the number three comes up in this play, a hapless event is sure to follow. Macbeth starts with the appearance of three witches. These three come up time and time again to toy with Macbeth. In the very beginning, the witches foreshadow their coming appearances when the first witch asks "[w]hen shall we three meet again/In thunder, lightening, or in rain" (1.1.1-2)? They appear several more times as the play unravels. The three witches, also called the weird sisters, …show more content…
They declared that he would be the thane of two places and the king of one place, saying, "All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter" (1.3.48-50)! The witches jovially granted this knowledge to Macbeth but deeply regretted it when they saw how it changed him. Once they got MacBeth's hopes up, indirectly encouraging him to kill the king and attempt to swipe the throne, a ghost appeared to share with Macbeth the apparitions that the witches had cooked up. It delivered the first apparition: "...beware Macduff; Beware the thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough." (4:1: 71-72). The second apparition came without a second to lose: "Be bloody, bold, and resolute; [...] for none of woman born/ Shall harm Macbeth" (4.1.79-81). It is all wrapped up once the third and final apparition is announced: "...Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until Great Birman wood to High Dunsinane hill/Shall come against him" (4.1.92-94). Macbeth is not worried because, just as he thought he was above the witches and any curse they could come up with, he was too proud to think those apparitions would ever prove