What Is Deus Ex Machina? | Definition & Examples
- Melchior Antoine
- Jul 21
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 10
Deus ex machina (pronounced as day-ush-eks-maa-kee-nuh) is typically portrayed as a writing device that should be avoided at all costs. It is seen as an example of bad writing where agency is taken away from the protagonist and other characters in a movie. It has also been criticized for hurting the verisimilitude of a story.
Here is the definition of the term:
Deus ex machina is a person or thing that is inserted into a narrative suddenly and unexpectedly to provide an unconvincing solution to an apparently insoluble problem.
The term originates from ancient Greek drama and referred to a god arriving just on time to resolve a sticky plot point at the end of a play. So why such a strange name? The term was inspired by the fact that the god in question simply appeared in the sky by being lowered using a crane. The Greek word for crane is mēchanē.
The history of this dramatic device can be traced back to the 5th century BC. In particular, the evidence for this date is related to a play by Sophocles, Philoctetes. In addition, Euripides made divine intervention a device in most of his plays.
Today, the narrative device now refers to movies where the resolution of the plot relies on some kind of plot contrivance. Deus ex machina has been criticized since its appearance in ancient Greek drama, and the criticism continues today.
What’s wrong with deus ex machina?
To see what’s wrong with deus ex machina, we can hear what Aristotle himself had to say about it in Poetics:
The resolution of a plot must arise internally from the character’s previous actions. The author should make their characters do things that are either necessary or probable from what the audience knows of them. Similarly, the ending of a plot should come about because of the plot not from a contrivance.
In short, plot contrivances are not convincing to an audience, and they take away verisimilitude from your story. Deus ex machina isn’t an ancient Greek concept that is only applicable to ancient Greek drama.
They show up in a number of modern movies as a trope. A good example of this would be in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings (released 2001–2003), when the eagles show up to save the day. The eagles show up to save the day each time things feel hopeless for our heroes.
In the Battle of the Black Gate in The Return of the King (2003), Frodo and Sam are stranded on rock surrounded by boiling lava after destroying the Ring. The situation seems completely lost and hopeless. The Eagles arrive out of nowhere being led by Gwaihir, rescuing them from Mount Doom just in the nick of time.
Again in the Battle of the Morannon, the final battle in The Return of the King, the Eagles drop out of the sky to turn the odds in favor of the heroes who were being bested by the flying Nazgûl.
Another example is the rescue of Gandalf from Orthanc in The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). Let’s set the scene. After being imprisoned by Saruman atop the tower of Orthanc, Gandalf is rescued by Gwaihir the Windlord, who appears suddenly and lifts him to safety.
In each instance, the Eagles arrive suddenly with zero explanation or setup. They provide help that completely turns the tables. Plus, they leave just as abruptly. In all of this, there is no justification for the roles that they play in the resolution of the crisis. In other words, there is no internal narrative justification for their intervention.
The table below provides examples of deus ex machina from various movies:
Name of Movie | Explanation of Deus ex Machina |
Peter Jackson, The Return of the King (2003) | The Great Eagles suddenly appear to rescue Frodo and Sam from Mount Doom after the Ring is destroyed with no prior setup or explanation. |
Steven Spielberg, War of the Worlds (2005) | After getting the better of Earth throughout the movie, the alien invaders suddenly begin to die from Earth’s bacteria. |
George Lucas, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) | Han Solo returns at the last moment to save Luke from Darth Vader during the Death Star attack, despite having just left. |
The Wachowskis, The Matrix Revolutions (2003) | The Machines suddenly agree to a truce with humanity after Neo defeats Agent Smith. This comes as an unexpected and rapid resolution after a prolonged war. |
Chris Columbus, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) | Fawkes the phoenix appears in the Chamber of Secrets to heal Harry and bring him the Sorting Hat with the sword, saving him from the basilisk. |
Steven Spielberg, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) | The Nazis open the Ark and are killed by divine forces, resolving the conflict without action from Indiana Jones. |
Deus ex machina in Jane Eyre
Deus ex machina in ancient Greek drama typically took the form of a literal god. However, in modern literature instead of God, it can also take the form of a natural disaster. In the case of Charlotte Brontë's
Jane Eyre, this is what we witness.
Jane Eyre is in love with Mr. Rochester. However, they cannot get legally married as Mr. Rochester is married to a woman named Bertha, a crazy woman who is locked up in his attic in his house Thornfield Hall. Mr. Rochester even keeps it a secret.
This secret is revealed dramatically on the day he was to get married to Jane by Bertha’s brother after he crashes the wedding. Jane breaks off her engagement with Mr. Rochester. However, the novel gets its happy ending when Bertha in a fit of madness burns down Thornfield and commits suicide.
This means that Mr. Rochester is now available to get married and live his life with Jane. The house fire is a blot on the novel according to many critics. Bertha’s existence means that the author and the protagonist are faced with an immense moral conflict. What should Jane do about Bertha?
Should she live an alternative lifestyle with Mr. Rochester, with the wife in his attic and her in his bed and accepting the social condemnation and guilt? Should she simply leave Mr. Rochester and find a new spouse? Instead of confronting these possibilities, the author chooses to get rid of the dilemma by eliminating the wife in a fire.
Cite this EminentEdit Article |
Antoine, M. (2025, July 21). What Is Deus Ex Machina? | Definition & Examples. EminentEdit. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/deus-ex-machina |
