What is the MacGuffin trope?

“MacGuffin” (a.k.a. McGuffin or maguffin) is a term for an object or element in a story that drives the plot, but serves no further purpose. It won’t pop up again later, it won’t explain the ending, and it won’t do anything except possibly distract you while you try to figure out its significance.

Is Excalibur a MacGuffin?

A MacGuffin is an object that is coveted by one or more characters. Important objects used in major works of fiction include the One Ring, Excalibur, Cinderella’s Glass Slipper, The Holy Grail, Snow White’s apple, etc. The MacGuffin term is attributed to Alfred Hitchcock who also popularized the term.

Can people be MacGuffins?

It can be a goal, person, object, or idea the characters are in pursuit of, and it generally needs to be revealed in the first act. Typically, a MacGuffin will not have any identity of its own, and it can be interchangeable.

Are MacGuffins bad?

The MacGuffin is often held up as an example of bad writing, as if the item in question must be interchangeable because the author is lazy or unimaginative, but that isn’t necessarily the case. This makes it ideal for stories that are about the process of acquiring the MacGuffin, rather than the item itself.

Is the ring of power a McGuffin?

So in effect, the Ring is not a Mcguffin because its importance is explained, but it functions like a McGuffin within the narrative, since it has no usefulness to the person carrying it.

Do all movies have MacGuffins?

The MacGuffin technique is common in films, especially thrillers. Usually, the MacGuffin is revealed in the first act, and thereafter declines in importance. It can reappear at the climax of the story but may actually be forgotten by the end of the story.

Why is it called MacGuffin?

Hitchcock explained the term MacGuffin in a 1939 lecture at Columbia University in New York City: It might be a Scottish name, taken from a story about two men on a train. Hitchcock also said “The MacGuffin is the thing that the spies are after, but the audience doesn’t care.”

Is A Song of Ice and Fire a series?

A Song of Ice and Fire is an ongoing series of epic fantasy novels by American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. The first installment of the series, A Game of Thrones, which was originally planned as a trilogy, was published in 1996.

When did George are Martin write A Song of Ice and Fire?

George R. R. Martin was already a successful fantasy and sci-fi author and TV writer before writing his A Song of Ice and Fire book series. Martin had published his first short story in 1971 and his first novel in 1977. By the mid-1990s, he had won three Hugo Awards, two Nebula Awards,…

What are the main races in A Song of Ice and Fire?

The world of A Song of Ice and Fire is primarily populated by humans, although giants, the so-called “Others”, and the children of the forest appear as other sentient species in the extreme North of Westeros, beyond the Wall.

What are the dragons like in A Song of Ice and Fire?

The dragons in the story are scaled, fire-spewing, reptilian creatures with animal-level intelligence. Though some accompanying artwork for A Song of Ice and Fire portrays them with four legs and a detached set of wings, George R.R. Martin insists that this is incorrect.