Deus ex machina

Deus ex machina is a Latin phrase meaning "god from the machine" (in reference to ancient Greek plays in which the gods would appear on stage with the aid of a machine such as a crane). The term applies to plot devices in which the plot is resolved suddenly by the intervention of the god (or in fairy tales, by fairies or other magical beings). It applies equally to any sudden character, revelation, or event which suddenly ties up the plot threads. Shakespeare used it many times, while a later example is the bacteria which defeat the Martians in The War of the Worlds (which the protagonist in fact views as an act of God).
==References==
* The traditional notion of the gods as deus ex machina occurs literally in several episodes of The StoryTeller: Greek Myths.
* Judge D. X. Machina in the fourth season Dinosaurs episode "Earl's Big Jackpot" is named after the concept. The name plate proclaiming him "D. X. Machina" doesn't appear until the last scene, when he fills that function by resolving all of the plot situations (even performing an instantaneous wedding ceremony).
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Category:Literary References