Action and Enigma Codes – Roland Barthes

Willow Catlin

Roland Barthes was a literary theorist that studied structure and semiotics in literature. Action and Enigma codes are one of the 5 codes Barthes designated to understanding structuralism of narrative. The other three codes are the semic / connotative code, the reference / cultural code and the symbolic code.

What is an action code?The Action code, or Proairetic code, are “actions” that are significant to the progression of the story. This can be anything that the alters the state of the narrative to give revelations or introduce a new problem. This can be something as simple as a phone ringing.

Why would Soap use Action Codes?One of the key features of a soap is its continuity of the plot; with action codes, there is different opportunities for the plot to progress or to introduce a new arc of the story that offers different issues for the characters to face. For an audience, encouraging action codes keeps the narrative alive and worth watching.

Examples of Action codes in soaps

In this episode of EastEnders, Linda and Whitney are talking at

the table when they hear a scream outside. The scene then

cuts to Sharon screaming at a rubbish bag claiming there is a

rat in the bin bags.

This use of the action code meant that the story could

progress onto a different story arc in the episode which focuses

on different characters.

What is an enigma codesThe Enigma code, or hermeneutic code, is a question posed to the audience to leave a sense of ambiguity and to leave them hooked. This could be a character who is being first introduced making the audience think “who are they?”. Like action codes, they give an opening for progression in the story, but more importantly, it entices the audience to continue their interest with the plot.

Why would soaps use enigma codes?

Soap writers love to leave episodes on cliff-hangers. One of the most common uses of an enigma code is to leave the episode on a question to continue to the next episode. This not only encourages the audience to continue interest in the series, but also leaves the narrative open-ended.

Examples of Enigma codes in soapsIn this episode of EastEnders, Carmel is confronted with the return of Masood. There were no hints to his return

therefore this leaves the audience wondering “why has he returned?” and “What does this mean for Carmel?”. These questions posed to the audience are an enigma which will

be answered further down the narrative of this arc.