Trios In Macbeth

Throughout history, the number three has been considered the magic number. Making appearances in fairy tales, politics, books, and media (etc.), the number has often been associated with success or good luck. This small, yet powerful, number somehow seems to be the perfect recipe for success. In stories, the trinity of heroes are the most enthralling, and in many plays, the number three manages to lead the characters to victory (indirectly or not). However, in William Shakespeare's “cursed” play, Macbeth, our title character faces quite a different fate. In our story, Macbeth is confronted with three witches who give Macbeth a less than perfect prediction of the bloody future ahead of him. Followed shortly after, three people are killed by

Whether they're good, bad, or indifferent, these characters almost always provoke plot progression and character development. Macbeth is no different. In Macbeth, we are quickly introduced to a set of three witches, one of the many supernatural elements of the play. However, it is no coincidence that there are three witches in Macbeth. These witches, like most trios in this story, are followed by bad omens, or events. They appear or are called upon by Macbeth to deliver prophetic rhymes and warnings. But like most magic -- these prophecies are not always as they seem to be, and end in destruction. For example, in act one scene 3, we are introduced to one of the major repetitions of three, the hierarchy positions. During an ominous foretelling of Macbeth’s fate, the witches screeched, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king there after!” (Shakespeare 17) occasionally chanting phrases in three times in unison. The witches foretell Macbeth’s future as Thane of Cawdor, a position that was currently filled. The titles, Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King, were merely positions before the three witches presented themselves; planting the seed of doubt in Macbeth’s mind. This small visit, launched Macbeth’s mind into a power hungry frenzy, leading him to believe that the only

It is also extremely attached to death. As previously noted, death itself makes multiple appearances throughout the entirety of Macbeth. Though Macbeth is directly responsible for the murder of best friend Banquo, in order to keep his hands clean, Macbeth hires three murderers to do his dirty work. A trinity of bloodshed. The murderers waste no time in pleasing Macbeth with their desensitivity to murder, claiming that they have “been so kicked around by the world, and I’m so angry, that I don’t even care what I do.” (Shakespeare 133) These three men, another pawn of the number three, do nothing but bring death and destruction. Driven by anger, jealousy and pride, these men have more in common with Macbeth than they think. But this is just the tip of the iceberg in relation to death and the unholy trinity. The number seems to make itself prevalent in even the most invasive ways, including the detailed onstage murders. Out of all the people killed in Macbeth, only three are acted out onstage. The death of Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s son, all unfortunate victims of the unholy number, were all killed by one or more of the three murderers. However the death most connected with three’s is Macduff’s son. For instance, in the beginning of act 4 scene 2, Lady Macduff and her son are visited by Ross, who calls lady Macduff “cousin” implying that they are all family. Already the number three