(Latin) literally “god out of a machine” ; indicates an otherwise unexplainable ending that can resolve any troubling matter; in ancient Greek drama, particularly that of Euripides, a god emerged with the help of a mechanical crane who could tie together the loose ends of a tricky situation, thereby resolving the drama.

God from the machine' In a Roman play, the author would often reach the end of the performance and be totally stuck for an ending. So he would write in a sequence where a god would appear and magically solve the problems of all the characters

In Greek tragedies, the resolution of the plot by the device of a god ("deus") arriving onstage by means of a crane ("machina") and solving all the characters' problems. Today, this term encompasses any such contrived play ending, such as the discovery of a will. This theatrical element was considered clumsy by Aristotle and virtually all succeeding critics; it is occasionally used ironically in the modern theatre, as by Bertolt Brecht in The Threepenny Opera.

any active agent who appears unexpectedly to solve and insoluble difficulty

'God from the machine,' in Latin. Greek playwrights would end tricky drama plots lowering a god on to the stage to resolve any dilemmas and loose ends. Now the term refers to a literary device introducing an unlikely or unexpected event or discovery to bring a story to a satisfactory close. Dickens' writing that Oliver Twist discovers his inheritance, for example.

( link / ) Latin for "God from the machine," a deus ex machina is a plot device that dramatically alters the outcome of a situation without regard to suspension of disbelief or the actions of the PCs. Closely related to GM fiat, and generally frowned upon.

(DAY-us ex MAH-kee-nah) Literally, "god out of a machine," a literary or staging device which refers to some last-minute salvation of a tricky situation by a god or goddess who has been watching the entire plot unfold from afar. In the Baroque period, elaborate scenery was devised whereby a particular god (more often than not Amor, the god of love) would descend from above the stage in a little cloud or carriage.

a resolution or end to a plot problem which is too convenient for the characters and generally seems unbelievable or forced particularly to an audience. It literally means "the god from the machine."

A staging or literary device referring to salvation from a tricky situation by a god or goddess.

is a Latin phrase meaning a person or thing that appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly and that provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty.

The god from the machine. In some of the ancient plays, a god appears at the end, to straighten out the human com- plications. As coming from Mount Olympus, the god was lowered by a machine from the roof to the amphitheatre floor. Hence, any arbitrary adjustor of complications at the end of a play is spoken of as a god from the machine.

Deus ex machina is a Latin phrase that is used to describe an unexpected, artificial, or improbable character, device, or event introduced suddenly in a work of fiction or drama to resolve a situation or untangle a plot (e.g., having the protagonist wake up and realize it was all a dream, or an angel suddenly appearing to solve problems). The phrase has been extended to refer to any resolution to a story which does not pay due regard to the story's internal logic and is so unlikely that it challenges suspension of disbelief, allowing the author to conclude the story with an unlikely, though more palatable, ending. In modern terms the deus ex machina has also come to describe a being, object or event that suddenly appears and solves a seemingly insoluble difficulty (e. g. the cavalry arriving).

Deus Ex Machina is the 'god' of the machines in the Machine City of the Matrix series. It is never explained or defined, but it seems to be the collective sentience of the machines. It communicates to Neo by causing hovering robots to form a speaking face.

Deus Ex Machina is a computer game developed and published by Automata UK for the ZX Spectrum in 1984. After the collapse of the company it was subsequently republished by Electric Dreams in 1985, but only for the Commodore 64.

"Deus Ex Machina" is the 19th episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Robert Mandel and written by Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof. It first aired on March 30, 2005 on ABC.