One of the themes of the KCD games is Agency
In specifics, how agency interacts with the games of the nobility, another theme of the games. The theme of agency it self is actually visible with lots of characters in games, and even many sideplots, but I wanted to focus in this post a bit on specifically agency and Henry, Hans and Theresa, because these three are narrative foils and parallels to each other in interesting ways.
The theme of agency and how it interacts with the feudalistic nature of society itself already becomes apparent from the start of KCD1, if you pay attention. For while Henry is running around in this “idyllic” evergreen Skalitz, doing his chores, practicing sword fighting and throwing manure, we as the player slowly feel the restricting nature of Skalitz. We’re told this is a game with a wide open world, and instead were stuck in this tiny squared of town, only being able to see the wider world from atop the wall behind Henry’s house. And this so closely matches with Henry’s desire to see the wider world and his discontentment with his lot. Because his lot, like everybody’s in Skalitz has already been written out for him. He’s a son of a blacksmith, who is supposed to stay in Skalitz to take over his father’s business, marry a wife and have kids, who will become blacksmiths himself.
This lot is written by the feudal structure of society, the social expectations and the structures if power that be. And Henry clearly tries to change this lot, dreaming of a different future where he’s out adventuring. This is why he approaches the traveling mercenary for sword fighting, even when it goes against his father’s wishes. But all he gets for it, is being mocked and called foolish for being a “lazy boy” with his head stuck in the clouds. Even the people that like Henry all kinda laugh about it (although in a good manner) and say that he will grow out of it. Afterall, they did eventually accept or made peace with their lot. Their lack of agency in changing their own fate is excepted, either as a fact of life, nature or Gods will. Even if that didn’t really make them happy.
And This is shown so clearly in Theresa’s DLC. Theresa, who appears to be this level headed, capable, perfect member of the community. A dutyfull daughter, a helpful caring sister, a good supporting friend, a (playfull and) attractive potential future wife. All these roles are pushed on Theresa and she picks them up without complaining, perfectly performing her part. And part of these roles do fit her. Even though she discontent with the lot that she has and her future, she summits to it and tries to get the most of it with the agency she has. Her mother died? Well, she will then have to pick up the pieces and do the chores, but wants to be respected for it (based on how her brothers treat her, they do). She has to get married? Well, at least she will try to find the best suitable partner, even if the options are far and few between and quickly dwindling. Her best friend has already taken the best match? In that case, lets help her when she asks things to lock down this match, even if her best friend keeps talking/bragging about the relationship.
On every turn Theresa is confronted with her future and her lot/script, and tries to use her agency to for fill it to the best of her ability. Trying to gain some semblance of happiness, even if this isn’t actually what she wants or dreams .Actually, the player never really learns what she wants beyond her script/her lot. But we do know that she wants something different, because she isn’t actually truly happy while acting out her script.
And this lack of agency is not only shown by the game in the bottoms of the social hierarchy, where Henry and Theresa are at the beginning of the game, but also from early on through Hans. Hans is a noble man, one of the few lucky ones to be at the top of the three states of man. We as player expect that those born in these stations have the most agency, due to being in positions of power. And on the first glance it looks like Hans does. He can do what he wants, drink and eat as much as he wants, being just if not more “lazy” than henry and nobody being able to stop him. He can treat people how ever he likes, and nobody can do anything about it. Truly a man like that has agency of his life.
But talking around Rattay and a few scenes with Hans quickly shatter that façade. Hans is a trapped lonely little bird/castrated rooster, having just as much agency and being just as trapped by his lot as peasants like Theresa and Henry were. Yes, his lot is different, but acting like his script and society expects of him, following the examples he has, leaves him socially isolated, lonely, miserable and insecure. And just like Theresa and Henry, he tries to use the little agency that he has granted by his privilege to manage that feeling, spending days boozing, wenching and hunting on it’s own. (@croquettish has multiple post on this topic, you should check them out).
And then Skalitz happens. An event that changes each and every one of these characters directly or indirectly. Freed from his town, Henry begins to partly flourish (something Theresa comments on) in the way he kind of always wanted, being a swordsman meeting people, helping them, seeing the world. Theresa no longer has to performs these rolls that Skalitz put on her, being free to just live an be at her own pace. And Hans, through meeting and being friends with Henry, grows closer to becoming the Bellator he wants to be, becoming more confident and happy than he has ever been.
But of these three, only Henry truly is able to become freed from his lot. Due to being the player controlled person, but narratively due to his unique position as an intersection of all the three states off man (also notable as three playstyle options being presented in KCD2 in the first option menu). Henry is capable of moving in and out of roles in society without being bound to a single lot/script/fate. And this is ludo-narratively enforced by Henry being able to become so many different people, and while society will not approve of all of them, it’s also not able to stop him. Henry has now full agency in his life
This is in contrasts to Theresa and Hans, who don’t.
Theresa, despite now being freed from her obligations and scripts that she was forced to follow, is still controlled by her lot due to her womanhood (a woman’s lot) and origin as a miller’s daughter. She cannot start fighting bandits like Henry or go to a scribe to learn to read. Instead she stays at the mill, doing her chores and waiting through the day. She is freed from her Skalitz lot, but it doesn’t actually give her much agency beyond that. And while she not desperate to regain her lot in the hope it brings back something from before the raid (as shown by her rejecting Henry’s proposal for marriage), she also does not seem able to anything else. Lotless and agency-less, she remains stagnant at the mill.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Hans’ lot comes from him no matter how much he tries to finally resist it. His nobility is forced onto him once more, but only in a way that he remains a tool for other. No matter what he does, who he really is and how he feels, society and fate/history push him back into this box that makes him miserable. Throughout KCD1 and KCD2, Hans is shown to grow as a person, both with his confidence and his skills. But he’s also shown as constantly being robbed of agency, even the smallest bits, by people around him and society. And while he tries his best to resist it, with his relationship with Henry (both platonic and definitely romantic) being the most direct way he does this. But we know that some part of his fight will be futile. History/fate has already been written. (again @croquettish has some fantastic post about this).
And so, while Henry is becoming more and more free from his lot, society strengthens it’s hold onto the people around him. And I think a potential KCD3 is gonna expand on this theme further, by showing how Henry’s lack of a lot makes him both a dangerous piece and a player in the game of power. Something I will go in dept about in a future post.
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