Representasi Karakter Princess Merida dalam Film Animasi Brave: Analisis Semiotika Roland Barthes

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the representation of Princess Merida through the levels of denotative, connotative, and mythical meanings from the perspective of Roland Barthes' semiotic theory. The study employed a qualitative approach using Roland Barthes' semiotic analysis as the primary analytical framework. Research data were collected through observation and documentation of the animated film Brave, with the unit of analysis consisting of twelve selected scenes identified through purposive sampling, as they represent the development of Merida's character from her initial introduction to the resolution of the central conflict. The findings reveal that, at the denotative level, Merida is represented as an active princess who is skilled in archery and embodies courage. At the connotative level, Merida is constructed as a symbol of resistance against the conventional Disney princess stereotype by portraying an independent woman with agency and the freedom to determine her own life choices. At the mythical level, Brave naturalizes the ideology of the modern woman as an individual possessing autonomy, leadership capacity, and the ability to act as an agent of social change while maintaining familial and cultural values. The novelty of this study lies in its integration of Barthes' three levels of signification—denotation, connotation, and myth—to explain the ideological transformation of female representation in Disney animated films, from a passive princess archetype to an egalitarian model of modern womanhood.

Keywords: Brave, female representation, Princess Merida, Roland Barthes' semiotics.