Does this guy look like the sort of man who's in charge of the servants or what? From his squinty eyes to his scraggly mullet to his hand on hip posture, this man somehow has middle manager written all over him.
Sir Kay is Arthur's 'seneschal'-- a fancy word meaning he's in charge of the king's domestic arrangements and overseer of the servants. His character is well-suited to the role, as he is known to be boorish, mocking and cruel, all traits stereotypical of the job. Kay is rude and insulting to nearly everyone. For all that, he is a brave and fearsome knight in battle, and for this he is admired and honoured at the Round Table.
The Camelot Oracle companion book suggests that Kay has particular knowledge of court that only a domestic servant might be privy to, the dark secrets of the lords and ladies at court. When you're in charge of the washing and the cleaning, you can't help but see the dirt, I suppose. And it's this exposure to the seamy underside that lends Kay his cynicism and disinclination to hold back on his observations of the failing of others. Having seen it all, he has expected no better of anyone. Not even the Queen. You can't fool Sir Kay, so you might as well not even put on a pretense for him. Doing so is only going to make you a target of his vicious tongue.
What can he offer? Street smarts. He can anticipate the worst possible behaviour in a person, so his is a good energy to turn to in business negotiations. He is also useful for arbitrations between factions, because he won't be fooled into taking sides with either of them. He can also form a more complete, realistic picture of situations because he must both micromanage (being in charge of even the chambermaids) as well as understand and move within the more rarified spheres of courtliness and statesmanship. Not to mention military strategy.
So even if at first he seems like a cynical arse, he's actually quite skilled and a nice string to your bow.
It's true, knowing where the dirty laundry is definitely adds to your understanding of the world ;) Loved your take on Kay, you made him seem much more approachable and understandable, not so negative and unpleasant!
ReplyDelete