Narrative Analysis

In this post, I have analysed a narrative based video which in this case is Beyonce's irreplaceable.

The artist in my video plays both the protagonist and narrator. She plays the protagonist as she is the main character in the video and she is telling her story in the video. She is also the narrator as she is the artist in the song and she is featuring in the video.

The video portrays an objective character identity as we are only shown one character’s point of view in the video, which is Beyoncé’s.

Todorov suggests that all narratives begin with equilibrium or an initial situation (where everything is balanced). This is followed by some form of disruption, which is later resolved. With the resolution at the end of the narrative a new equilibrium is usually established.

There are 4 characters seen in Beyoncé’s video. In terms of Propp’s Theory of Narrative, Beyonce would be considered the hero in the video as she is the character that restores the narrative equilibrium by kicking her cheating boyfriend out of her life. Also, as Beyonce is the main character in the video, she is invariably the hero.
Beyonce’s cheating boyfriend would be considered the villain as he was the one to create the narrative disruption.
The helper in the video would be the taxi driver has he the one that is aiding the hero in kicking the villain out of the house.

Binary oppositions that exist in the music video would be man vs woman and protagonist vs antagonist,

Barthes identifies narrative codes which readers use to decode (understand) texts. He emphasises the active role of audiences in creating meaning, and their ‘culturally formed expectations’. The narrative code that exists in Beyonce’s video is the action code. The action code is applied to any action that implies a further narrative action. We as viewers are expected to connect different pieces of narrative. The video shows Beyonce escorting her boyfriend out of her house and watches him put his stuff in the taxi. She takes items of clothing and jewellery of him as she points out in her lyrics that she bought them for him.

There doesn't appear to be any intertextual references within the music video.