MacGuffin
Meaningless story driver
A MacGuffin is a plot device in fiction—an object, goal, or person that characters pursue but that matters only because it drives the story forward.
The briefcase in a thriller, the stolen jewels, the secret formula: their specific nature is irrelevant; what matters is that everyone wants them.
The term comes from filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, who popularized both the technique and the word.
The glowing suitcase is a classic MacGuffin—we never learn what's inside.
Valued wealth or keepsake
- grailSacred sought-after vessel
- briefcasePortable document container
- microfilmPhotographically reduced documents
- artifactHuman-made historical object
relic · diamonds · formula · documents · suitcase · falcon · Ark of the Covenant · Rosebud
Suspense-driven narrative genre
- twistRotating motion or surprise
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
- tensionStretched or strained state
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
mystery · intrigue · chase · pursuit · stakes · urgency · danger · revelation
- objectivePurpose or goal
- catalystAgent enabling change
- narrativeAccount of events
- screenplayFilm's written blueprint
subplot · foreshadowing · red herring · exposition · denouement · pacing · backstory · arc
Intense wanting
- obsessionPersistent, intrusive preoccupation
- pursuitAct of chasing something
- goalDesired end result
- prizeReward for winning
reward · incentive · ambition · driving force · compulsion · fixation · coveted · sought-after
treasure
Valued wealth or keepsake
- grailSacred sought-after vessel
- briefcasePortable document container
- microfilmPhotographically reduced documents
artifact · relic · diamonds · formula · documents · suitcase · falcon · Ark of the Covenant · Rosebud · unobtanium
thriller
Suspense-driven narrative genre
suspense · mystery · intrigue · chase · pursuit · stakes · urgency · danger · revelation · secret
Hitchcock
screenplay · subplot · foreshadowing · red herring · exposition · denouement · pacing · backstory · arc · flashback
desire
Intense wanting
prize · reward · incentive · ambition · driving force · compulsion · fixation · coveted · sought-after · elusive
- storytellingstorytelling, story, tale, narrative, narrator
- literary elementsplot, character, setting, theme, narrator
- film termsfilm, auteur, genre, celluloid, mise-en-scene
- plot devicesred herring, plot twist, flashback, foreshadowing, deus ex machina
- plot elementsplot, protagonist, antagonist, main plot, subplot
- story tropesquest, hero's journey, plot twist, chosen one, red herring
MacGuffintheme
Central recurring concept
central theme · character arc · main character · protagonist
MacGuffinHoly Grail
Legendary cup from scripture
One Ring · Rosebud · Horcrux · Chekhov's gun
MacGuffinChekhov's gun
Narrative necessity principle
essential element · the One Ring · Rosebud · symbol · motif