Understanding the court cards: archetypes, not royalty
If you’ve ever pulled a court card in a reading and immediately thought, Who is this supposed to be? — you’re not alone. The court cards are often some of the trickiest to interpret, especially when you’re new to tarot. They can feel like an exclusive cast of characters with complicated backstories or (worse) rigid interpretations of gender.
But here’s some good news: you don’t have to think of the court cards as literal kings, queens, knights, and pages sitting in some faraway castle. You don’t even have to assign them to specific people in your life (and really probably shouldn’t!). Instead, it can be much more useful — and more accessible — to think of them as archetypes.
An archetype is a recurring, composite personality, energy, or behavior that shows up again and again in human experience. Most tarot readers rely heavily on archetypes and symbolism to decode the rest of the deck and get hung up on the families. But once you extend this lens to the court cards, you can recognize the kinds of dynamics you see in real families out in the world: diverse personalities, shared traits, power structures, and more.
The four courts as ways of being
Each suit of the tarot has its own “court,” a family of four cards representing the Page, Knight, Queen, and King of that suit. In traditional decks like the Rider-Waite-Smith, they’re illustrated as nobility from centuries past. Given tarot’s early beginnings, these were the kinds of characters that would have been moving through the world. But today, the imagery is just a container; what’s inside is universal and timeless.
Here’s one way to think about them:
Pages are beginners, messengers, and students. They have big intern energy! They represent curiosity, learning, and openness. Like any novice, they make mistakes and may stumble along the way. But even when they fall, they ask, What happens if I try this? and aren’t afraid to start small.
Knights are active, driven, and on a mission. At their best, they’re devoted to a cause and constantly working towards that aim. But since they’re single-mindedly focused on doing something about the energy of their suit, they sometimes barrel ahead without thinking. At their worst, they’re simply doing too much in the spirit of going fast and breaking things.
Queens embody and nurture the qualities of their suit. They’re intuitive, holding space for emotional depth, creative flow, or intellectual clarity, depending on what element they’re in. Queens welcome internal work and personal narrative, encouraging self-exploration and understanding. After all, they’ve done that work themselves and seen its fruits borne out.
Kings bring mastery, structure, and big-picture thinking. They know how to lead with the qualities of their suit and how to channel that energy into the world. They are the very best of what a fair leader might be: selfless, equitable, and wise. Their decisions reflect what is best for the masses, not the individual.
You can already see how these aren’t just characters in medieval costumes — they’re people, moods, and mindsets we all recognize.
Why archetypes are your friends
When you read a court card as an archetype, it opens the door to more flexible interpretations. A Knight of Cups might be a person you know who’s chasing their dream project — or it might be you stepping into a romantic or idealistic mindset. The Queen of Pentacles could be a friend who always makes sure everyone is fed and comfy, or it could be a reminder to nurture your own stability and well-being. So much of the court cards magic is their adaptability to reflect the cast of characters in our own lives while also encouraging us to learn from and model the strengths of the archetypes in each suit’s family.
In the past (think the 70s to 2000s especially), court cards were often read literally: a white knight in your future, a man waiting for you! While we’re not here to yuck anyone’s yum, moving away from the idea that court cards must represent a specific person means you can also take the pressure off to “guess” who someone is in a reading. Instead, I look to build a composite sketch:
What qualities is this card showing me?
How does this energy show up in my life right now?
Is this something I’m embodying or encountering in someone else?
What could I learn from this person, if I were to know them IRL?
How we might use archetypes in your reading
When a court card pops up in our reading together, I’ll guide us through this approach:
Noting the suit and its symbolism
Cups (water/creativity/emotions)
Wands (fire/passion/action)
Swords (air/ideas/communication)
Pentacles (earth/resources)
Naming the role and its action
Page (beginner)
Knight (doer)
Queen (nurturer)
King (leader)
Blending them together to paint a portrait
For example, a Page of Swords might be a student, hungry for information and learning to communicate his ideas. The Queen of Swords, by comparison, could be a therapist helping to heal others by facilitating hard conversations and introducing new ways of thinking.
If there is someone that springs to mind as we build this composite sketch, we’ll explore that together! Analyzing the personalities of these families can often lead us into discussions about our own families and how they help/ed us show up in the world. As you build your tarot practice, you’ll start to notice patterns, too — not just in your readings, but in your day-to-day life. The more you see these archetypes out in the world, the easier it is to work with them in the cards.
Remember, the court cards aren’t here to feel unfamiliar — these are personalities you already know, you just have to know where to look. They’re here to reflect the many roles, stage, and phases we move through as humans. You’ll identify with each one of them at some point in your life (and sometimes multiple at once). So don’t be afraid to get introduced!
