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Deus ex machina
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{{short description|Contrived device to resolve the plot of a dramatic work}} {{Other uses}} {{Italic title}} [[File:Medea rappresentation (2009) 07.JPG|thumb|''Deus ex machina'' in Euripides' ''[[Medea (play)|Medea]]'', performed in 2009 in Syracuse, Italy; the sun god sends a golden chariot to rescue Medea.]] '''''Deus ex machina''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|eɪ|ə|s|_|ɛ|k|s|_|ˈ|m|æ|k|ɪ|n|ə|,_|ˈ|m|ɑː|k|-}} {{respell|DAY|əs|_|ex|MA(H)K|in|ə}};<ref>''[[Random House Dictionary]]''</ref> {{IPA|la|ˈdɛ.ʊs ɛks ˈmaːkʰɪnaː|lang}}; plural: ''dei ex machina''; 'God from the machine')<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Beckson|first1=Karl E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-2NkAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Deus+Ex+Machina%22+%22god+out+of+the+machine%22|title=A Reader's Guide to Literary Terms: A Dictionary|last2=Ganz|first2=Arthur F.|date=1961|publisher=Noonday Press|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-11-03|title=Deus Ex Machina - Examples and Definition|url=https://literarydevices.net/deus-ex-machina/|access-date=2021-04-23|website=Literary Devices|language=en-US}}</ref> is a [[plot device]] whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly or abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence.<ref>{{cite dictionary | title=deus ex machina | dictionary=Merriam-Webster | access-date=23 Apr 2018 | url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deus%20ex%20machina}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/art/deus-ex-machina | title=Deus ex machina | website=Encyclopaedia Britannica | access-date=23 Apr 2018}}</ref> Its function is generally to resolve an otherwise irresolvable plot situation, to surprise the audience, to bring the tale to a [[happy ending]], or act as a comedic device.<ref>{{Cite web|title=God Out of the Machine – Theatrical Literary Devices - Oxford Study Courses|url=https://oxfordstudycourses.com/blog/god-out-of-the-machine-theatrical-literary-devices|access-date=2021-04-23|website=oxfordstudycourses.com| date=14 September 2015 |language=en-US}}</ref>
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