narrative analysis

1. Analysis of hannibal tv show - season 1 episode 1-
aperitif
Http://clickplay.To/tv-shows/hannibal-72/season-1/episode-1-4428
Propp's character types:-
In the first episode,(around scene 3), of
Hannibal the character of Jack Crawford is
portrayed as the dispatcher, he asks will graham
to assist him in the case, this is the “quest” that
Propp refers to in his theory, although he
accompanies the hero and doesn’t send him off
he can still be characterised as the dispatcher
due to the nature of his approach to Will and the
things he asks of him.
Will graham is the hero of this episode he is the
protagonist that the whole episode is based
around. He helps Jack in his quest, he uses his
abilities to help solves murders. Although will is
not the typical hero as he is unstable as his quest
makes him suffer psychologically rather than the
typical physical harm the hero faces.
The reason the audience knows that will is the
hero is because the very first scene is focusing on will's face and the rest of the story focuses
on Will.
The false hero in this episode is Hannibal lecter.
He is portrayed as a helpful psychologist or as a
helper however later in the episode it is shown
that he is not as helpful as first thought as is
indeed a psychopathic cannibal himself. He is
very particular and careful, as well as analytical
and methodical, this means his true motive is

2. only revealed to the audience and not to the other characters. He often hinders the case, for
example in this episode he calls their primary suspect and the villain in order
Alana bloom is the real helper in this episode as she prepares Will and guides him making sure
that the quests Jack sets him are not to damaging or too ‘close’ as they put it. Alana stays with
will and helps him throughout the series, she care for him and fights his corner even against
Jack who is seen as an authority figure. When Will suffers great trauma, shooting Garrett Jacob
Hobbs, she gets angry with Jack rather than Hobbs as she feels it is his fault for putting Will in
that position.
In Hannibal there are
multiple character that
can be classed as a
donor character. These
are the forensic team,
Beverly Katz, Jimmy
Price and Brian Zeller.
They provide Will with
forensic evidence to
help further the case,
they stay with will along
the way (mostly)
however they do not
care for will like Alana Bloom does.They
provide this help for their own benefit , they wish
to solve the case, rather than to help will directly.

3. The villain in this episode is Garrett Jacob Hobbs, he is the specific murderer in this episode
and the main enemy against will,for this episode anyway, he
is the stereotypical “monster” as he murders young pretty
girls, however the difference in this is the reason for the
murder, he kills because he loves them. He also eats his
victims in order to honor them. This is unusual as usually
the villain is portrayed as evil and without affection or love,
he kills because of hate, this is because of too much love
rather than a hate.
The “princess” in this episode, though is she is not
present in most of the episode, is Abigail Hobbs. She is
the daughter of the villain and is portrayed and very
vulnerable. It comes to light that the focus of the villains
affections are her and she is the one that he has the
greatest love for and the predominant reason for his
killing. Towards the end of this episode Will save Abigail
from her father and saves her life, and defeats the
villain. It is later shown that rather than being in love
with Abigail, in the romantic way, Will loves her and
feels like a father figure to her.
Propp's narrative functions
1. Something’s Missing: The women that fit the profiles of the murder victims are
constantly in danger, also the killer is missing.
2. The Warning: Will is cautioned not to get too close to the case as because he
emphasises with the killers he could become mentally unstable.
3. Violation: There is a further two murders. another way this is used is Hannibal phones
the killer to warn him.
4. Reconnaissance: Hannibal finds out how will solves a case and how the FBI
investigate it.

4. 5. Delivery: Hannibal finds out Wills weaknesses and how they figure out the case.
6. Trickery: Hannibal tricks Will into leaving the room where they are doing their
research in order to phone Garrett Jacob Hobbs
7. Complicity: Will not only tells Hannibal which person is his main suspect but also
leaves the room to help pick up the papers that Hannibal left as a distraction.
8. Villainy and Lack: Hannibal kills a young girl and removes her lungs, he is later
shown to be eating them . This prompts Will & co. to investigate deeper to find the killer
more urgently
9.The Challenge:Jack informs him of the new murder and asks him to investigate.
10. Counteraction: Will in turn gets more involved in the case even when advised not to
by Alana Bloom due to it causes psychological instability.
11. Departure: Will goes into the Hobbs household in order to arrest the killer. here
instead of a helper he find the “princess” character
12.The Test: Will is required in this episode to figure out where the killer is and who the
killer is
13. Reaction: Will shoots Hobbs and attempts to stop the bleeding from Abigail's neck.
He summons help from 911
14. Acquisition: rather than the conventional “magic object” Will gains a pseudo-
daughter here.
15. Transport: Usually, the hero must travel to another location to reach his goal where
he is unwelcomed or will be in danger.
16. Confrontation: Will is required to help Abigail as her throat is cut and she is taken
hostage by her father, the killer.
17. Injury: Though Will was not physically injured he is psychologically damaged as he
then starts having flashbacks about the traumatic event.
18. Victory: Will shoots Garrett Jacob Hobbs and seemingly wins the fight.

5. 19. Resolution:The killer has been caught and neutralised and Abigail is saved
20. The Hero Returns: Will leaves the Hobbs household, he takes Abigail away and to
the hospital.
21. Pursuit: Will is chased, not physically, but the image of Garrett Jacob Hobbs stays
with him and he hallucinates and dream about him.
22. The Rescue: Unfortunately this does not apply to Will as he does not escape from
the mental pursuit.
23. Back Home: Will returns to work however he is changed by his experience with the
killer.
24. The False Claim: Because will is appearing slightly more unstable than he once
was, Hannibal is seen as a hero for helping him through using therapy.
25. The Difficult Task: This doesn’t seem to be relevant for this episode of this show,
unless you count the deciphering of the identity of the killer.
26. Task Performed: Again this is not relevant to this episode apart from Will figuring out
who the killer is.
27. Recognition: Jack congratulates Will on solving the murder case.
28. False Claim is Exposed: This does not happen in this episode however it does
happen later on in the series so although it is not relevant to this specific episode, the
executives of the show still use this narrative function.
29. Acknowledgement: Will is now recognised as a good detective by other characters
in the show.
30. The Hero Wins: Garrett Jacob Hobbs is shot and killed by Will,however unlike the
stereotypical hero win the false hero (Hannibal) is not punished.
31. The Hero Returns: Unlike the traditional romantic way in which the hero ‘gets the
girl’ Will instead finds a pseudo-daughter.

6. Barthes:-
Hermeneutic code:
The hermeneutic code is associated with enigmas of the text. It is entities or elements that
articulate a question and its answer, as well as events that prepare the question or delay its
answer. (X-1) when barthes identifies an enigma in the text he marks it her.
The hermeneutic code in this episode of Hannibal could be said to be the true identity of the
Mississippi Shikra. This question is answered at the very end of this episode as it is Garrett
Jacob Hobbs. Another possible hermeneutic code could be the true nature and intentions of DR
Hannibal Lecter. The audience finds out the answer to this question in order to move along the
story, however the main characters do not, this provides intrigue and a link between the
character of Hannibal Lecter and the audience. Thus providing a relatability that one would not
usually get with a serial killer
Proairetic code:
The proairetic code encompasses the actions or small sequences of the narrative (annex 2).
That is, it is not the overall narrative structure, which is associated with the her. The basis of the
proairetic is the dependency of the lexias upon both sequence and content to impart meaning.
A proairetic code in this episode is the gathering of evidence, this hints to the viewer who the
killer could be and encourages them to figure out parts of the story before the hero. Also as the
majority of the audience will have heard of Hannibal Lecter before, it hints that he is going to be
the killer described, as they are very similar in style and purpose.
Semantic code:
The connotations of the character (a person, a place or an object). The character has not only
characteristics, but also unstable connotations because the person has an existence (a name
proper) which is external to the characteristics, the fixed meanings
One semantic code in the first episode of Hannibal is the antlers of the stags head. They
provide additional connotations in many ways, one way is it that the way it is used by the killer to
place the girls body on show this shows the killer is ostentatious and mocks the agents. This is
reflected by how a stag uses its antlers to show off. Another way the stags head is used is the

7. flashbacks and hallucinations Will has. He often sees the antlers and this could be symbolising
how the killer has got inside Will's head.
Referential code:
The referential code is constituted by the points at which the text refers to common bodies of
knowledge.
The references in this show is too the human anatomy and cooking skills. This is reflected in the
surgery and the skill involved in the murders. Also the way Hannibal Lecter cooks alludes to the
dinner parties that some people throw however, he includes much more skill than the regular
person.
Todorov:-
Todorov in 1969 produced a theory which he believed to be able to be applied to any film. He
believed that all films followed the same narrative pattern. They all went through stages called
the equilibrium, disequilibrium, acknowledgement, solving and again equilibrium.
There are five stages the narrative can progress through:
1. A state of equilibrium (all is as it should be.)
2. A disruption of that order by an event.
3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred.
4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption.
5. A return or restoration of a new equilibrium
Equilibrium
In terms of an equilibrium in the first episode of Hannibal the show starts by giving you insight
into how Will Graham solves the murders. It shows him walking around the crime scene and
going through the murders in a series of flashbacks in which he is the murderer. This is a good
starting point as it works as a very quick way of introducing his purpose and skills, the show
continues to make that a flashback in Will's head as he is teaching a class and it is at this point
where you are introduced to Jack, the way the whole equilibrium is constructed is very clever as
it gives a very smooth transition so the viewer can keep up with a very difficult learning curve.
Disruption
There is initially an issue as Hannibal is displayed as a false hero but the viewer knows the truth
behind him, this creates a strange dynamic where the viewer is more than aware of the villain
and the cause of the disruption but the other lead characters are completely unaware of the fact

8. that they have started to work with the cause of the disruption. One of the key features of the
disruption is finding the body of one of the victims, there isn't much evidence that the murder
was for any particular reason but later on you find out that that she has lung cancer which leads
Will to make the conclusion that they are hunting a canabal. This further hints to the viewer that
Hannibal is the murderer and that he is eating the people.
Resolution
They shoot Garrett Jacob Hobbs and save his daughter Abigail this is aided other aspects of the
story as in the tussle Abis neck gets cut and Will doesn’t know how best to hold the wound but
Hannibal does so this makes him look like the hero or the false hero he truly is.
Levi-strauss:-
In the 20th century claude levi-strauss said that all stories are propelled forward by conflict that
is caused by characters and events opposing each other: that opposites are important to a
story.
How many opposites can you think of that might crop up in a film? Here are some to start you
off:
Good and evil
Garrett Hobbs is evil and Will is good; this is shown by the way that they are portrayed as quite
simply good and evil. Garrett is show negatively as he kills his family when he gets a call from
Hannibal, this is the first hint that Hannibal is the anti hero. will is portrayed as this crime solving
helpful hero but he also has some issue with controlling his mind throughout the episode.
Light and darkness
Noise and silence
Strength and weakness
Will shows contrast within his character as he has the major strength of being able to get into
the mind of criminals but this also becomes his weakness as he becomes almost one with there
thoughts. this can make him weak
Past and present

9. the past and present in hannibal is shown by the crime scene investigation where will is looking
at the crimes as they happened in his head this is like a weird flashback where will becomes the
bad guy and talks the viewer through the two murders and things like the motives.