deus ex machina

[C33]

okay, so it means something like god from a machine. but what's _that_ supposed to mean?

[Axis of Action]

what I remember is it comes from olden plays (like 16th century, maybe earlier) and they'd have a sort of random savior at the end, which would sometimes be this machine or whatnot that magically saved the characters. so a 'deus ex machina' has come to mean a random plot element at the end that saves the characters. it's generally seen as a cop out.

[C33]

Originally posted by Sehki
what I remember is it comes from olden plays (like 16th century, maybe earlier) and they'd have a sort of random savior at the end, which would sometimes be this machine or whatnot that magically saved the characters. so a 'deus ex machina' has come to mean a random plot element at the end that saves the characters. it's generally seen as a cop out.

ooh. thanks

[mxzombie]

we just read moliere's play tartuffe in my contemporary lit class, and it has a deus ex machina thing at the end. i enjoyed it.

[C33]

hell, i could've used google:

In some ancient Greek drama, an apparently insoluble crisis was solved by the intervention of a god, often brought on stage by an elaborate piece of equipment. This "god from the machine" was literally a deus ex machina.

Few modern works feature deities suspended by wires from the ceiling, but the term deus ex machina is still used for cases where an author uses some improbable (and often clumsy) plot device to work his or her way out of a difficult situation. When the cavalry comes charging over the hill or when the impoverished hero is relieved by an unexpected inheritance, it's often called a deus ex machina.

[guz]

Originally posted by Sehki
what I remember is...

don't act like you weren't trying to solve the mystery and crack all those pw protected sites.

[atenolol]

if you've ever seen the movie Donnie Darko they do that deus ex machina thing at the end.

[Harry Taco P.I.]

There is a play by Woody Allen entitled God. It makes reference to the "God Machine".

[C33]

Originally posted by atenolol
if you've ever seen the movie Donnie Darko they do that deus ex machina thing at the end.

yeah, i thought about that when i made this thread

[meow]

is that a midget?

[phaedrus]

Originally posted by meow
is that a midget?

thank you for watering down the board.*



*(i didn't mean to belittle you with that comment, i'm sorry if i've done any harm.)

[C33]

Originally posted by meow
is that a midget?

no, it's a funky, backwardstalking midget

[Axis of Action]

Originally posted by guz
don't act like you weren't trying to solve the mystery and crack all those pw protected sites.

SHHHHHHHHH don't let the secret out!

[dusty]

example: when athena comes at the very end of the odyssey and prevents homer from killing everyone.