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The Social Contract · Character

Cato the Elder

Roman censor and moralist cited on virtue and censorship.

minor

Also known as Cato, the elder Cato

First appearance: vii the censorship

Cato the Elder shows up with force in V: The Tribunate. The page is where that presence becomes real.

Referenced implicitly through Roman examples of tribunes.
In the storyV: The TribunateOpen this moment free

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In V: The Tribunate: Referenced implicitly through Roman examples of tribunes. Later, in Endnotes: Cited for his scrupulousness regarding…

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See Cato the Elder in vii the censorship

Character Web

1 connection

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CICiceroCTCato the Elder

Relationship types

  • Other

Character groups

  • Political and Legal Thinkers

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.

SetupEscalationClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

The emotional and psychological peak occurs in the recognition that the tribunate, as a "link or middle term,"…

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In the story

Cato the Elder appears across 2 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

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See Cato the Elder in vii the censorship