Mechane

Lore & Background

The mechane was a crane made of wooden beams and pulley systems, used in Greek theatre during the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Its primary function was to lift an actor into the air, usually to represent flight. This device was especially employed to bring gods onto the stage from above, which led to the Latin term deus ex machina ('god from the machine').

Reader's Guide

The mechane holds significance as a foundational theatrical device, directly inspiring the concept of deus ex machina. Its use in Greek tragedy allowed playwrights like Euripides and Aeschylus to introduce divine or supernatural elements dramatically. The device's application at Julius Caesar's funeral, as reported by Appian, illustrates its adaptation in Roman public spectacle, though Geoffrey Sumi's proposal that it hinted at Caesar's divinity is considered unlikely because Appian does not describe it as a genuine deus-ex-machina device, and Caesar's official apotheosis occurred later. In Christian liturgy, Ignatius identified the cross as the 'theatre mechane' of Jesus Christ, linking the theatrical crane to religious symbolism. The mechane thus bridges ancient performance, political ritual, and theological metaphor.

Did You Know?

• The term deus ex machina literally means 'god from the machine' and derives from the mechane's use to lower gods onto the stage.
• Euripides used the mechane in Medea (431 BCE) for a non-divine character.
• Ignatius called the cross the 'theatre mechane' of Jesus Christ.