DEUS EX MACHINA


Meaning of DEUS EX MACHINA in English

Stage device in Greek and Roman drama in which a god appeared in the sky by means of a crane (Greek, mechane ) to resolve the plot of a play.

Plays by Sophocles and particularly Euripides sometimes require the device. The term now denotes something that appears suddenly and unexpectedly and provides an artificial solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.