# Plot device
A plot device is an element of a story, such as an object, character, event, or situation, introduced primarily to advance the storyline or resolve a complication.[1](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/plot-device) The term covers both material devices, like a pursued object or a narrating character, and immaterial ones, like a sudden change in circumstances; many devices have become recognized tropes over time, among them the [MacGuffin](https://www.edgepedia.org/macguffin) and the deus ex machina.[2](https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-plot-device-definition-examples/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Definition | A narrative element, such as an object, event, or character, introduced primarily to advance the storyline or resolve a complication[1](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/plot-device) |
| Named devices | MacGuffin, deus ex machina, red herring, Chekhov's gun, plot twist, cliffhanger, flashback, montage, voiceover[3](https://novelium.com/blog/what-is-a-plot-device) • [4](https://ncstate.pressbooks.pub/screenwriting/chapter/some-common-plot-devices/) |
| MacGuffin origin | Term coined by screenwriter Angus MacPhail and popularized by Alfred Hitchcock, with early examples in *Number Seventeen* (1932) and *The 39 Steps* (1935)[5](https://www.hitchinfo.net/faqs.html) • [6](https://www.hitchcockwiki.com/wiki/MacGuffin) |
| Deus ex machina origin | Ancient Greek theater, where an actor playing a god was lowered onto the stage by a crane-like machine to resolve the plot[7](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_New_International_Encyclop%C3%A6dia/Deus_ex_Machina) • [8](https://www.english.hawaii.edu/criticalink/aristotle/terms/deus.html) |
| Classical criticism | Aristotle, in the *Poetics*, recommended against using divine intervention to resolve tragic plots[8](https://www.english.hawaii.edu/criticalink/aristotle/terms/deus.html) |
| Test of quality | A well-used device arises from the characters and setting and goes largely unnoticed; a clumsy one makes the story feel contrived[9](https://www.writers-online.co.uk/how-to-write/plot-devices-and-how-to-use-them/) |
## Definition and scope
Writers' guides define the plot device broadly: anything that moves a story forward, whether a character, an object, a situation, or a change in the story's world.[2](https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-plot-device-definition-examples/) [Dictionary.com](https://www.edgepedia.org/dictionary-com) gives the narrower working sense of an element introduced "primarily to advance the storyline or resolve a complication," listing synonyms such as "narrative shortcut" and "storytelling element."[1](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/plot-device) Some writing sources say "everything" in a story can qualify as a plot device, while others narrow the term to specific objects or events; the broader definition risks collapsing "plot device" into simply "plot."[3](https://novelium.com/blog/what-is-a-plot-device)
The concept sits within the larger study of plot, which narratology defines as the arrangement of events and characters' actions and how that arrangement lets readers identify motivations and consequences.[10](https://www-archiv.fdm.uni-hamburg.de/lhn/node/115.html) A plot device is a discrete mechanism within that arrangement, one that a writer must track across a manuscript so that it pays off rather than breaking continuity.[3](https://novelium.com/blog/what-is-a-plot-device)
## Common devices
**MacGuffin.** A MacGuffin is a goal, desired object, or motivator that the protagonist pursues, often with little narrative explanation of why it is desirable; its function is to drive the plot, and its specific identity is largely interchangeable.[6](https://www.hitchcockwiki.com/wiki/MacGuffin) • [11](https://www.plotiar.com/resources/glossary/macguffin/) [Alfred Hitchcock](https://www.edgepedia.org/alfred-hitchcock) popularized the term and the technique, using it in films such as *Number Seventeen* (1932) and *[The 39 Steps](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-39-steps-1935-film)* (1935); the uranium ore hidden in wine bottles in *Notorious* is a later example.[6](https://www.hitchcockwiki.com/wiki/MacGuffin) The term was coined by Hitchcock's Scottish friend, the screenwriter Angus MacPhail, and Hitchcock illustrated it with a whimsical anecdote about an "apparatus for trapping lions in the Scottish Highlands," meaning it could be anything, or nothing, at all.[5](https://www.hitchinfo.net/faqs.html) The glowing briefcase in *Pulp Fiction* and the statue in *The Maltese Falcon* are frequently cited MacGuffins.[11](https://www.plotiar.com/resources/glossary/macguffin/) • [12](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/macguffin) Not every important object qualifies: the [One Ring](https://www.edgepedia.org/one-ring) in *The Lord of the Rings* is not a MacGuffin because its corrupting nature and connection to Sauron are essential to the story's themes.[11](https://www.plotiar.com/resources/glossary/macguffin/)
**Deus ex machina.** Literally "god from the machine," the device comes from ancient Greek theater, where tragic poets resolved difficulties by bringing a divinity onto the stage by machinery; classical examples include the appearance of Heracles in the *Philoctetes* and Athena in the *Iphigenia in Taurica*.[7](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_New_International_Encyclop%C3%A6dia/Deus_ex_Machina) In modern usage it means any abrupt resolution by an unexpected external force.[7](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_New_International_Encyclop%C3%A6dia/Deus_ex_Machina) [Aristotle](https://www.edgepedia.org/aristotle) criticized the practice in the *Poetics*, arguing that a plot's resolution should arise from the action already established, and that divine intervention belongs outside the actual action of the drama.[8](https://www.english.hawaii.edu/criticalink/aristotle/terms/deus.html) Critics since have treated it as evidence of a weak plot or as an oversimplification of reality, though it can also serve as a deliberate, subversive tool.[13](https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/deus-ex-machina) A related term, eucatastrophe, describes a sudden favorable turn drawn from an element already present in the story's own mythology rather than from an unknown outside force.[14](https://ab51.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-Essentials-of-Literature-A-Tutors-Guide.pdf)
**Flashbacks, montages, and voiceover.** [Screenwriting](https://www.edgepedia.org/screenwriting) guides treat these as workhorse devices with characteristic misuses. A flashback shows events before the current plot; it should move the story or character forward and never serve as a band-aid over plot holes. Recognized effective uses include the frame narrative (*Titanic*), motivation revealed in a brief memory (*Ratatouille*), thematic contrast (*The Godfather Part II*), the corrected version of earlier events (*Fight Club*), and plots built on memory itself (*Memento*).[4](https://ncstate.pressbooks.pub/screenwriting/chapter/some-common-plot-devices/) A montage compresses time, showing passage of days or years, character growth, or adaptation to a new environment, as in the training sequence of *The Karate Kid* or the wordless married-life opening of *Up*.[4](https://ncstate.pressbooks.pub/screenwriting/chapter/some-common-plot-devices/) Voiceover, narration spoken over scenes, works best when it reveals character voice or sets tone, as in *Goodfellas* and classic film noir, and fails when it merely repeats what the audience already sees.[4](https://ncstate.pressbooks.pub/screenwriting/chapter/some-common-plot-devices/)
**Other named devices.** Standard lists also include the red herring, a false clue planted to mislead readers solving a mystery; Chekhov's gun, an early detail that must later matter; the plot twist; and the cliffhanger, an unresolved suspenseful moment ending a chapter or episode.[3](https://novelium.com/blog/what-is-a-plot-device) • [9](https://www.writers-online.co.uk/how-to-write/plot-devices-and-how-to-use-them/) • [14](https://ab51.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-Essentials-of-Literature-A-Tutors-Guide.pdf)
## Effective and ineffective use
The recurring craft distinction is visibility. When a device arises from the characters and setting, readers barely notice it because they are absorbed in the story; used clumsily or obviously, it makes the story feel contrived or poorly constructed.[9](https://www.writers-online.co.uk/how-to-write/plot-devices-and-how-to-use-them/) A well-crafted device, such as the story-within-a-story hunt for [Keyser Söze](https://www.edgepedia.org/keyser-soze) in *The Usual Suspects*, intrigues the audience, while an unbelievable one, such as a secret twin revealed in a soap opera, loses them.[15](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/plot-devices-examples-75726/)
Some devices have been used so often that they have become tropes or clichés with the potential to damage a story: "it was all a dream," deus ex machina, sudden light-bulb moments, and amazing coincidences are four examples.[9](https://www.writers-online.co.uk/how-to-write/plot-devices-and-how-to-use-them/) Even a heavily criticized device can succeed in context; some viewers object to the giant eagles' rescue in *The Lord of the Rings* as a deus ex machina, while others defend it because the surrounding narrative builds a complex storyworld.[15](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/plot-devices-examples-75726/) The term itself carries a negative connotation among many screenwriters, though writing guides argue that devices are neutral tools whose value depends on execution.[2](https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-plot-device-definition-examples/)
## References
1. [PLOT DEVICE Definition & Meaning, Dictionary.com](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/plot-device)
2. [What is a Plot Device? Definitions and Examples, StudioBinder](https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-plot-device-definition-examples/)
3. [What Is a Plot Device? Avoid Holes & Use Common Types, Novelium](https://novelium.com/blog/what-is-a-plot-device)
4. [Some Common Plot Devices, From Idea to Screen: The Basics of Screenwriting (NC State Pressbooks)](https://ncstate.pressbooks.pub/screenwriting/chapter/some-common-plot-devices/)
5. ["The MacGuffin", Alfred Hitchcock Scholars (hitchinfo.net FAQ)](https://www.hitchinfo.net/faqs.html)
6. [MacGuffin, The Alfred Hitchcock Wiki](https://www.hitchcockwiki.com/wiki/MacGuffin)
7. [Deus ex Machina, The New International Encyclopædia, Wikisource](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_New_International_Encyclop%C3%A6dia/Deus_ex_Machina)
8. [Aristotle: Poetics, Terms (CriticaLink, University of Hawaii)](https://www.english.hawaii.edu/criticalink/aristotle/terms/deus.html)
9. [Plot devices and how to use them, Writers Online](https://www.writers-online.co.uk/how-to-write/plot-devices-and-how-to-use-them/)
10. [Plot, the living handbook of narratology (Karin Kukkonen)](https://www-archiv.fdm.uni-hamburg.de/lhn/node/115.html)
11. [MacGuffin: The Plot Device That Doesn't Matter, Plotiar glossary](https://www.plotiar.com/resources/glossary/macguffin/)
12. [MACGUFFIN Definition & Meaning, Dictionary.com](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/macguffin)
13. [Deus Ex Machina - Definition and Examples, LitCharts](https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/deus-ex-machina)
14. [The Essentials of Literature: A Tutor's Guide, III. Plot Devices](https://ab51.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-Essentials-of-Literature-A-Tutors-Guide.pdf)
15. [10 Plot Devices and How to Use Them, Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/plot-devices-examples-75726/)
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