The discriminant $\Delta = 18abcd - 4b^3d + b^2 c^2 - 4ac^3 - 27a^2d^2$ of the cubic polynomial $ax^3 + bx^2 + cx+ d$ indicates not only if there are repeated roots when $\Delta$ vanishes, but also that there are three distinct, real roots if $\Delta > 0$, and that there is one real root and two complex roots (complex conjugates) if $\Delta < 0$.
Why does $\Delta < 0$ indicate complex roots? I understand that because of the way that the discriminant is defined, it indicates that there is a repeated root if it vanishes, but why does $\Delta$ greater than $0$ or less than $0$ have special meaning, too?