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Difficulty: MediumDramatic Devices and Conventions

Read the dramatic extract below:

[Scene: A crumbling fortress wall. CAPTAIN EGBERTO stands cornered by enemy soldiers, his sword broken.]
EGBERTO: The gates are breached, and all hope is extinguished!
[Suddenly, a golden chariot drawn by mythical birds descends from the heavens, scattering the enemy soldiers and whisking Egberto away to safety.]

Which dramatic device is employed to resolve the protagonist's crisis in the scene above?

  1. Deus ex machinaAnswer
  2. B
    Soliloquy
  3. C
    Tragic flaw
  4. D
    Dramatic irony

Answer

Deus ex machina
Deus ex machina (literally 'god from the machine') describes an unnatural, sudden, or miraculous event introduced into a story to resolve an apparently intractable predicament.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the dramatic situation in the excerpt
The protagonist faces an inescapable threat with a broken sword against surrounding enemy soldiers.
Establishing the severity of the crisis helps identify how the conflict is resolved.
2
Examine the nature of the resolution
A mythical golden chariot suddenly descends from the sky to save the protagonist.
The resolution comes from an external, unbelievable power introduced unexpectedly into the plot.
3
Match the resolution technique to the correct literary device
An unexpected or improbable device introduced to resolve a desperate situation is known as deus ex machina.
This matches the traditional definition of deus ex machina in classical and modern drama.

Key Concept

Deus ex machina as a dramatic convention for plot resolution
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Topics

Dramatic Devices and Conventions

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