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deus ex machina

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deus ex machina

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Also known as deus ex machine, god from the machine

plot device

Wikidata facts

Instance of
plot device
Show 5 more facts
name
Ἐκ Μηχανῆς Θεός
start time
0458-00-00
discoverer or inventor
Aeschylus
Commons category
Deus ex machina
Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

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Encyclopedic overview

Deus ex machina in Euripides' Medea, performed in 2009 in Syracuse, Italy; the sun god sends a golden chariot to rescue Medea.

Deus ex machina (/ˈdeɪəs ɛks ˈmækɪnə, ˈmɑːk-/ DAY-əs ex-MA(H)K-in-ə; Latin: [ˈdɛ.ʊs ɛks ˈmaːkʰɪnaː]; plural: dei ex machina; 'God from the machine') is a plot device, a type of denouement in which a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly or abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence. Its function is generally to resolve an otherwise irresolvable plot situation, to surprise the audience, to bring the tale to a happy ending, or act as a comedic device.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “deus ex machina” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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