History RuleOfThree / Literature

* Dante's ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'': In ''Inferno'', {{Satan}} has three faces, eternally chewing on Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. Also, Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise all have 9 levels, grouped into threes. In Hell, three circles apiece are devoted to sins of Incontinence, Violence, and Fraud; in Purgatory, atonement is performed for sins that involve Bad Love (Pride, Envy, and Wrath), too little love (Sloth), and too much love (Avarice, Gluttony, and Lust); and in Paradise, saints dwell in nine concentric spheres that surround the Earth, beyond which God lives. There are actually many other examples of the Rule of Three, as well as other numerology. For instance, it is usually divided into three parts (Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso) of 33 ''canti'' each plus a prologue (Inferno actually has 34 cantos, but the first canto serves as the prologue), which makes for a total of 100 cantos.

* In ''Literature/StrangerInAStrangeLand'', the Martians have a number system based on powers of three; they also have three stages of life.

* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'':

* Dante's ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'': In ''Inferno'', {{Satan}} has three faces, eternally chewing on Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. Also, Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise all have 9 levels, grouped into threes. In Hell, three circles apiece are devoted to sins of Incontinence, Violence, and Fraud; in Purgatory, atonement is performed for sins that involve Bad Love (Pride, Envy, and Wrath), too little love (Sloth), and too much love (Avarice, Gluttony, and Lust); and in Paradise, saints dwell in nine concentric spheres that surround the Earth, beyond which God lives. There are actually many other examples of the Rule of Three, as well as other numerology. For instance, it is usually divided into three parts (Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso) of 33 ''canti'' each plus a prologue (Inferno actually has 34 cantos, but the first canto serves as the prologue).

* Dante's ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'': In ''Inferno'', {{Satan}} has three faces, eternally chewing on Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. Also, Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise all have 9 levels, grouped into threes. In Hell, three circles apiece are devoted to sins of Incontinence, Violence, and Fraud; in Purgatory, atonement is performed for sins that involve Bad Love (Pride, Envy, and Wrath), too little love (Sloth), and too much love (Avarice, Gluttony, and Lust); and in Paradise, saints dwell in nine concentric spheres that surround the Earth, beyond which God lives. There are actually many other examples of the Rule of Three, as well as other numerology. For instance, it is usually divided into three parts (Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso) of 33 ''canti'' each plus a prologue.

* Dante's ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'': In ''Inferno'', {{Satan}} has three faces, eternally chewing on Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. Also, Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise all have 9 levels, grouped into threes. In Hell, three circles apiece are devoted to sins of Incontinence, Violence, and Fraud; in Purgatory, atonement is performed for sins that involve Bad Love (Pride, Envy, and Wrath), too little love (Sloth), and too much love (Avarice, Gluttony, and Lust); and in Paradise, saints dwell in nine concentric spheres that surround the Earth, beyond which God lives. ''TheDivineComedy'' actually contains many examples of the Rule of Three, and other numerology. For instance, it is usually divided into three parts (Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso) of 33 ''canti'' each plus a prologue.

* Dante's ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'': In ''Inferno'', {{Satan}} has three faces, eternally chewing on Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. Also, Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise all have 9 levels, grouped into threes. In Hell, three circles apiece are devoted to sins of Incontinence, Violence, and Fraud; in Purgatory, atonement is performed for sins that involve Bad Love (Pride, Envy, and Wrath), too little love (Sloth), and too much love (Avarice, Gluttony, and Lust); and in Paradise, saints dwell in nine concentric spheres that surround the Earth, beyond which God lives. ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' actually contains many examples of the Rule of Three, and other numerology. For instance it is usually divided into three parts (Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso) of 33 ''canti'' each plus a prologue.

* ''Literature/{{Pact}}'': A very important rule in the series' magic system. The third time you do something, the result will be much more significant. Fail three times? Your failure will be a big one. Succeed three times? Your success will be a big one. Apparently this is only really true because [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve humans as a whole believe it's true]], and over many millenia it's been engraved into the laws of magic.

* The entirety of Wil [=McCarthy=]'s novel ''Literature/TheCollapsium'' is structured this way. It's broken into three "books," ''Once Upon a Matter Crushed'', ''Twice Upon a Star Imperiled'' and ''Thrice Upon a Schemer's Plotting'', and each begins with a nearly identical setup and set of challenges for the main character. But with each iteration, the complexity of the story takes a step up, until the final section, where everything goes to hell and plot threads from all three sections pay off. By the author's own admission, the novel was written as a modern hard-SF fairy tale, so Rule Of Three is used ''very'' deliberately.

* In ''Literature/JourneyToTheCenterOfTheEarth'', the tunnel leading to the center to the earth is marked by a nearby peak casting its shadow on it. For two days, the sky is too cloudy for a shadow to be cast, but on the third day the sun shines and the correct tunnel is revealed.

** The symbol of the Deathly Hallows (Of which there are three) is triangular. The Hallows are: the Resurrection Stone, the Invisibility Cloak, and the Elder Wand. They were created by the three Peverall brothers: the eldest was killed for the wand, the middle killed himself to be with his dead wife, and the youngest lived to old age by "hiding from Death" with the cloak. In the movie the first two brothers are mostly silhouettes while the third brother is (more or less) fully lit.

** Three things Voldemort needs for the spell to resurrect his body: bone of his father, flesh of his servant, and blood of his enemy.

-->'''Bella:''' About three things I was absolutely positive: First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him, and I didn't know how dominant that part might be, that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

** The play itself is composed of Terza Rima.

** In a 2000 television adaptation starring Ross Kemp, re-telling the story in a modern London estate, the Rule Of Three applies even more -- Eddie Scrooge is stuck in a GroundhogDayLoop, as after each spirit he gets to re-live Christmas Eve again and try to change things. After the first spirit, he hasn't changed a bit. After the second, he's becoming a better person but is still arrogant [[spoiler: his showing off the "new" him to his nurse ex-girlfriend results in a young homeless person dieing, as he went to get his ex rather than simply call an ambulance to help the person]]. After the third ghost, [[spoiler: he changes his ways for real and does kind acts without showing off -- including calling an ambulance for the homeless person]]. Also, Rule Of Three applies even more than the ghosts. The Ghost of Christmas Past is Eddie's father, the Ghost of Christmas Present is Jacob Marley himself and the Ghost of Christmas Future is [[spoiler: the son he could have if he changes his ways]].

* The entirety of Wil [=McCarthy=]’s novel ''Literature/TheCollapsium'' is structured this way. It’s broken into three “books,” ''Once Upon a Matter Crushed'', ''Twice Upon a Star Imperiled'' and ''Thrice Upon a Schemer’s Plotting'', and each begins with a nearly identical setup and set of challenges for the main character. But with each iteration, the complexity of the story takes a step up, until the final section, where everything goes to hell and plot threads from all three sections pay off. By the [[WordOfGod author’s own admission]], the novel was written as a modern hard-SF fairy tale, so Rule Of Three is used ''very'' deliberately.

* In the ''[[Literature/TheCrewOfTheCopperColoredCupids Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids]]'' story ''[[https://thecrewofthecoppercoloredcupids.wordpress.com/2022/07/16/marksmanship-526-and-the-secret-society-stratagem-part-two/ Marksmanship-526 and the Secret Society Stratagem]]'', among the representatives from other dimensions are a trio of identical… [[AFormYouAreComfortableWith men-like entities]] referred to as "the Three". They are, of course, the delegates from the Third Universe.

--> Maybe I still had a story at my back: twice living through dead after twice being offered a crown. There was power in reiteration, in repetition, and few numbers had heavier hand on a story than three. (...) "Three times I've been offered a crown here, by someone neither fully friend or foe.", I began. "Three times-"

* Dennis Dutton might have some good points about the flaws in Christopher Booker's ''Literature/TheSevenBasicPlots''[[http://denisdutton.com/booker_review.htm]], but he really shows his ignorance of tropes when he tries to attack Booker's use of the Rule Of Three:
-->'''Dutton''': ...while there are three bears, three chairs and three bowls of porridge in Goldilocks and the Three Bears,* there are actually four characters. The story would better support Booker's theory were it "Goldilocks and the Two Bears".

* “Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects ''vast'' and ''cool'' and ''unsympathetic'', regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us." (H G Wells, ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' (1898), opening paragraph). "How beautifully underplayed is that adjective ‘unsympathetic’." (Creator/BrianAldiss, Trillion Year Spree p. 152).
* The ''third'' ''Literature/WarriorCats'' series is called ''[[Literature/WarriorCatsPowerOfThree Power of Three]]'', and has ''three'' protagonists.
** And their names have ''three'' syllables each.
** Featuring ''three'' chosen ones. [[spoiler: Although there turns out to be a fourth.]]

** King Stannis's supporters chant "One god! One realm! One king!" which sounds like the old French slogan "One king, one law, one faith" or the UsefulNotes/NaziGermany slogan "Ein Volk! Ein Reich! Ein Führer!"

** There are three [[Literature/TheSilmarillion Silmarils]], three Elven [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Rings of Power]], three races that got Rings of Power (Elves, Men, and Dwarves), three groupings of Elves of the Light (Vanyar, Noldor, and Teleri), three ancient tribes of noble Men (Haladin, Hador, and Bëor), three archaic clans of Hobbits (Harfoots, Stoors, and Fallohides), and three survivor states of Númenor (Arnor, Gondor, and Umbar).
** [[BigBad Melkor]] disrupts the Music of the Ainur thrice. Galadriel refused Fëanor's request for a lock of hair thrice, and in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' gives Gimli three hairs when he asked for just one. Thrice Sauron is "killed" and cast out of his physical form: firstly with the sinking of Númenor, secondly with his defeat by the Last Alliance of Elves and Men at the end of the Second Age, and lastly (and permanently) with the destruction of the One Ring.
** There are also nine Nazgûl. Nine is thrice three, and a very important number in Myth/NorseMythology.

*** Daenerys is the last of three children, she has three dragon eggs, three handmaids, and three bloodriders, etc etc. When she is scouting out from Vaes Tolloro, she sends each of her three bloodriders in a different direction. The first two come back empty-handed, the last one takes a long time but ultimately returns with three emissaries from Qarth, a city ruled by three major guilds. Daenerys is betrayed thrice, and later on attacks three cities before settling down in the third.

** Cersei Lannister was allowed to ask three questions to Maggy the Frog: will she marry the prince (she will not marry the prince, but the king), will she become queen (she will, until a younger, more beautiful queen comes), and will she and the king have children (she will have three children, the king will have sixteen, and Cersei will outlive all of her children before being killed off by the "little brother"). Naturally, they are accurate, [[ProphecyTwist albeit not like how Cersei predicted]].