Fabula
S3E21 · Posse Comitatus
S3E21
· Posse Comitatus

Bartlet Flees Theater, Stabbed by Shakespearean Parallels to Assassination

In the balcony of a Broadway theater, President Bartlet watches intently as Shakespearean actors deliver lines decrying royal murder—'Off with the crown, and with the crown, his head'—inescapably mirroring his fresh authorization of Shareef's assassination. The visceral parallels to regicide overwhelm his conscience, prompting him to stand abruptly and exit in torment. Ron signals C.J. from the adjacent balcony; they follow swiftly, marking a poignant turning point that externalizes Bartlet's profound moral anguish amid national security's ethical abyss.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

A Shakespearean performance unfolds with lines condemning royal brutality, mirroring Bartlet's internal conflict about the pending assassination of Shareef.

solemnity to tension ['Theater balcony']

Bartlet abruptly exits the performance as the play's themes of violence and power resonate uncomfortably with his decision to authorize Shareef's killing.

absorption to agitation ['Theater balcony']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

5
Ron Butterfield (Secret Service Special Agent)
primary

Alert professionalism masking concern for the President's distress

Observes from the adjacent balcony, immediately catches President Bartlet's abrupt exit, signals C.J. to alert her, and walks out in coordinated pursuit to maintain security perimeter.

Goals in this moment
  • • Facilitate secure and discreet presidential egress
  • • Coordinate with press secretary for containment of the situation
Active beliefs
  • • Presidential movements require instantaneous protective action
  • • Security protocols supersede the event's cultural context
Character traits
Vigilant Responsive Professionally attuned
Follow Ron Butterfield …'s journey
Abigail Bartlet
primary

Visceral moral torment, conscience overwhelmed by assassination parallels

Watches intently from his balcony as the play unfolds with lines decrying regicide and betrayal, then stands abruptly and exits the theater, his departure marking a visceral break from the performance mirroring his inner crisis.

Goals in this moment
  • • Escape the unbearable artistic reflection of his ethical compromise
  • • Regain private composure away from public scrutiny
Active beliefs
  • • The regicidal themes indict his own 'unpardonable' authorization
  • • Duty demands endurance, but humanity recoils from cold command
Character traits
Conflicted Tormented Decisive in flight
Follow Abigail Bartlet's journey
Supporting 2
C.J. Cregg
secondary

receives signal from Ron and walks out

Goals in this moment
  • • follow President Bartlet and Ron
Character traits
resilient strategic poised terse dutiful
Follow C.J. Cregg's journey
Unnamed Tully's Waitress
secondary

delivers Shakespearean lines about regicide and royal murder

Goals in this moment
  • • perform the play's dialogue
Character traits
efficient detached professional dramatic eloquent commanding
Follow Unnamed Tully's …'s journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Broadway Theatre

The Broadway theater's balconies elevate Bartlet into isolated oversight of the stage, where Shakespearean dialogue on murder and crowns pierces his psyche like daggers, transforming a night of culture into an inescapable moral tribunal; Ron's adjacent vantage enables swift signaling, amplifying the venue's role as catalyst for ethical rupture amid dramatic intimacy.

Atmosphere Intensely dramatic and hushed, laced with the play's venomous rhetoric and Bartlet's mounting inner turmoil
Function Venue for presidential outing that precipitates personal crisis and secure exit
Symbolism Mirror of regicide, reflecting Bartlet's real-world assassination dilemma in theatrical judgment
Access VIP balconies restricted to President, Secret Service, and key staff like C.J.
Dimly lit balconies overlooking illuminated stage Echoing voices of actors delivering condemnatory lines Nighttime intimacy heightening personal isolation

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Key Dialogue

"WOMAN: "Too... too unpardonable. Off with the crown, and with the crown, his head. And whilst we breathe, take time to do him dead.""
"YOUNG MAN: "That is my office for my father's sake.""
"OLDER MAN: "She-wolf of France! But worse than wolves of France, whose tongue more poisons...""