Character

Lentulus

conspiratorial treasonous defiant

Lentulus emerges in President Bartlet's late-night riff on Roman history as the chief conspirator plotting to topple the Republic. Bartlet contrasts the Senate's grueling all-night debate—chaired by Cicero—over military and diplomatic fallout with modern debate theatrics. Sam seals the point: execution followed the deliberation. Lentulus embodies high-stakes Roman accountability, where rhetoric meets lethal judgment, prodding the West Wing to demand substance over spectacle in Bartlet's campaign clashes.

2 appearances

Roman Politics

Lentulus's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

2 moments

S4E4 · The Red Mass

Redefining the Debate: Trading Quantity for Substance

Not present; serves as cautionary illustration.

Mentioned as the conspirator in Bartlet's Roman example; Lentulus' fate is used to underscore historical stakes of debate and consequence.

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S4E4 · The Red Mass

Rewriting the Red Mass / Debate Format Trade

Not present; invoked to underscore consequences of substantive debate.

Mentioned in Bartlet's historical recounting as the conspirator who was tried and executed after a prolonged debate — an example of high‑stakes accountability.

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Affiliation

Roman Senate

Deliberative Governance and Extended Political Debate in Ancient Rome