1
Stage 1 of 3
theos ek mekhanes
Greek · ancient
"god from the machine"
god from the machine, describing a stage device that lowered actors playing gods into a play
2
Stage 2 of 3
deus ex machina
Latin · ancient
"god from the machine"
translated from Greek theatrical vocabulary for the same stage device
3
Stage 3 of 3
deus ex machina
English · 1690s
"a contrived, artificial resolution to a story's problems"
adopted into English literary criticism for a contrived plot resolution
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom