A deus ex machina (pronounced /ˈdeɪ.əs ɛks ˈmɑːkinə/ or /ˈdiː.əs ɛks ˈmækɨnə/,[1] literally, in Latin, "god from the machine") is a plot device whereby a previously intractable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with a contrived introduction of a new character, ability, or object. It is generally considered to be a poor storytelling technique because it undermines the story's internal logic.
Contents |
Following Aristotle, Renaissance critics continued to view the deus ex machina as an inept plot device, although it continued to be employed by Renaissance dramatists; Shakespeare used the device in Pericles and The Winter's Tale.[2] Towards the end of the 19th century, Friedrich Nietzsche criticised Euripides for making tragedy an optimistic genre via use of the device and was highly sceptical of the "Greek cheerfulness" this prompted and what he viewed as the plays' "blissful delight in life".[3] The deus ex machina as Nietzsche saw it was symptomatic of Socratic culture that valued knowledge over Dionysiac music and ultimately caused the death of tragedy:[4]
But the new non-Dionysiac spirit is most clearly apparent in the endings of the new dramas. At the end of the old tragedies there was a sense of metaphysical conciliation without which it is impossible to imagine our taking delight in tragedy; perhaps the conciliatory tones from another world echo most purely in Oedipus at Colonus. Now, once tragedy had lost the genius of music, tragedy in the strictest sense was dead: for where was that metaphysical consolation now to be found? Hence an earthly resolution for tragic dissonance was sought; the hero, having been adequately tormented by fate, won his well-earned reward in a stately marriage and tokens of divine honour. The hero had become a gladiator, granted freedom once he had been satisfactorily flayed and scarred. Metaphysical consolation had been ousted by the deus ex machina.[5]
Nietzsche argues that the deus ex machina creates a false sense of consolation that ought not to be sought in phenomena and this denigration of the plot device has prevailed in critical opinion.[6] Some 20th-century revisionist criticism suggests that the deus ex machina cannot be viewed in these simplified terms and argues rather that the device allows mortals to "probe" their relationship with the divine.[7] Rush Rehm in particular cites examples of Greek tragedy in which the deus ex machina serves to complicate the lives and attitudes of characters confronted by the deity whilst simultaneously bringing the drama home to its audience.[7]
A deus ex machina is generally undesirable in writing and often implies a lack of creativity on the part of the author. The reasons for this are that it does not pay due regard to the story's internal logic and is often so unlikely that it challenges suspension of disbelief, allowing the author to conclude the story with an unlikely, though perhaps more palatable, ending.[8]
Sometimes the unlikeliness of the deus ex machina plot device is employed deliberately:
The Wiktionary definition of deus ex machinaDeus ex machina [1][2] is the Latin version of an ancient Greek phrase ἀπὸ μηχανῆς θεός.
The phrase means means "the god from the machine". It comes from the theatre of ancient Greece, which had a kind of crane for delivering gods onto the stage on wires.
By extension, the term means a plot device whereby a seemingly overwhelming problem is suddenly solved by means which are arbitrary, and do not follow from the logic of the narrative (story).
For example, in Euripides' play Alcestis, the heroine agrees to give up her own life in order to spare the life of her husband, Admetus. At the end Heracles shows up and seizes Alcestis from Death, restoring her to life and to Admetus. A more frequently cited example is Euripides' Medea in which the deus ex machina is used to convey Medea, who has just committed murder and infanticide, away from her husband Jason to the safety and civilization of Athens.
Aristotle criticized the device in his Poetics, where he argued that the resolution of a plot must arise internally, following from previous action of the play:[3]
Unfortunately, we could not find any sentences from other sites similar to those above.
  | Aristotle's Poetics, adapted from the translation by S.H. Butcher - Aristotle's Poetics |
| | actual writing instructor - Robert McKee's Story Seminar |
| | commentary - Are You Living in a Computer Simulation? |
| | opinions - Deus Ex Digita? |
| | Literary Terms and Definitions: D - Literary Terms and Definitions D |
|
|
Wikis
Quiz
Misc
Search
