Analisis Semiotika Roland Barthes Representasi Kekuasaan dalam Komunikasi Raja pada Film The King’s Speech

Achmad Zaidan Zaahir, Muhammad Jailani


Abstract


Film as a medium of mass communication not only serves as entertainment but also reflects social realities, including the construction of power. In The King's Speech (2010), King George VI's authority is represented through communication practices despite his speech impediment. This study examines how symbolic power is represented in the film and how communicative vulnerability is transformed into leadership legitimacy. Using a qualitative method and Roland Barthes' semiotic framework, the analysis explores denotative, connotative, and mythological meanings in selected scenes, dialogues, expressions, gestures, and visual elements. The findings show that symbolic power is constructed through four key communicative scenes. At the denotative level, the film portrays the king's struggle to overcome stammering. At the connotative level, vulnerability becomes a space for negotiating authority and rebuilding legitimacy. At the mythological level, the film promotes the idea that modern leadership is grounded not only in hereditary status but also in communicative competence, resilience, and public recognition. The study's novelty lies in demonstrating that symbolic power emerges paradoxically from communicative fragility, transforming speech impairment into a performative source of modern political legitimacy.

Keywords


Communication; Representation; Roland Barthes' Semiotics; Symbolic Power; The King's Speech

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.30743/mkd.v10i1.13574

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Copyright (c) 2026 Achmad Zaidan Zaahir, Muhammad Jailani

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MUKADIMAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sejarah, dan Ilmu-Ilmu Sosial

Program Studi Pendidikan Sejarah, FKIP, Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara, Medan
Sumatera Utara, Indonesia

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