"Deus ex macchina" ni neno la kilatini linalomaanisha "mungu wa mashine".
Hawa watu walipenda sana maigizo, michezo na riwaya.
Sasa kuna tamthiliya nyingine muandishi anakuwa kaicomplicate na kuipindisha sana mpaka anashindwa kuimaliza vizuri, kila atakavyoimaliza itabakisha maswali.
Basi ikawa, mchezo ukishafikia stage hiyo, muandishi anatunga solution rahisi tu.
"Mungu akashuka kutoka juu mbinguni na kumaliza utata wote" mchezo kwisha.
Katika ma theathre yao kulikuwa na li mashine maalum kwa ajili ya kumshusha mungu katika tamthiliya kama hizi.
Ndiyo maana akaitwa "Deus ex machina". Mungu wa mashine.
Baadaye, watu walivyokuja kuendeleza zaidi sanaa ya uandishi, suala la "believability" katika tamthiliya likaja kuwa muhimu. Kwamba usiandike hadithi tu au mchezo viti vinaruka hewani bila kufuata laws of gravity, nothing is believable or predictable, inabidi kuandika within a certain framework, na hizi hadithi zenye mwisho wa "deus ex machina" zikaonekana kama ni a weak and early attempt at mastering literature.
Ukisoma soma literary reviews za fiction unaweza kukutana na terms kama hizi, mara nyingi kitabu cha hadithi kikisemwa kwamba kina mwisho wa "deus ex machina" hiyo ni a bad review point, kwamba mwisho wake hauna a natural resolution, ni kama umekuwa forced by unnatural forces.
Of late nimekuwa nikiitumia hii phrase kueleza kwamba kuna majibu mengine kuhusu uwepo wa mungu ninayopewa ni "deus ex machina" tu.
Kwa mfano, utamuuliza mungu "Kwa nini mungu mwenye uwezo wote, ujuzi wote na upendo wote aliamua kuumba ulimwengu ambao ubaya na uovu unawezekanika?"
Mtu hana jibu, anakujibu tu "God works in mysterious ways".
That is not an answer, that is admitting you don't know the answer and you are resolving everything by a "deus ex machina" device.