More than half of Euripides' extant tragedies employ a deus ex machina in their resolution and some critics claim that Euripides invented it, not Aeschylus. Ancient examples Īeschylus used the device in his Eumenides but it became an established stage machine with Euripides. The device is associated mostly with Greek tragedy, although it also appeared in comedies. Aeschylus introduced the idea and it was used often to resolve the conflict and conclude the drama. The machine could be either a crane ( mechane) used to lower actors from above or a riser that brought them up through a trapdoor. The term was coined from the conventions of ancient Greek theater, where actors who were playing gods were brought on stage using a machine. Origin of the expression ĭeus ex machina is a Latin calque from Greek ἀπὸ μηχανῆς θεός (apò mēkhanês theós) 'god from the machine'. 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. Deus ex machina in Euripides' Medea, performed in 2009 in Syracuse, Italy the sun god sends a golden chariot to rescue Medea.ĭeus ex machina ( / ˌ d eɪ ə s ɛ k s ˈ m æ k ɪ n ə, ˈ m ɑː k-/ DAY-əs ex- MA(H)K-in-ə, Latin: plural: dei ex machina English "god from the machine") is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly or abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence. For other uses, see Deus ex machina (disambiguation).
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