No 'Deus Ex Machina' on State Authorization

September 22, 2011

Ancient Greek playwrights would sometimes write themselves into a corner.  The intricate plot, which was so carefully developed through the initial acts, did not lend itself to an easy resolution in the finale.

One answer was to let the gods and goddesses resolve the outcome. Actors playing deities would be lowered by cranes onto the stage to intervene in the action and untangle the unseemly mess created by us humans.  The term ‘deus ex machina’ (gods out of the machine) describes the plot device of using contrived or unexpected events to resolve the conflict in a play. […]