Essay paper

Twelve Angry Men by REGINALD ROSE
The following play was written for television. It begins with a list of characters, but on television you would not have the
benefit of that list (although, of course, you would be able to tell something about each character from his appearance on the
screen). Imagine, then, on the screen of your mind the scene described at the start: a courtroom, with the area, or box, in the
foreground for the twelve members of the jury. The kinds of men they are will become clear as the play unfolds. One
suggestion, though: pay particular attention to juror NO. 8: And it might be helpful to fix your mind the equation: 7+3=10.
For jurors 7, 3, and 10 also play extremely important parts.
CHARACTERS
FOREMAN: A small, petty man who is impressed with the authority he has and handles himself quite
formally. Not overly bright, but dogged.
JUROR NO. 2: A meek, hesitant man who finds it difficult to maintain any opinions of his own. Easily swayed
and usually adopts the opinion of the last person to whom he has spoken.
JUROR NO. 3: A very strong, very forceful, extremely opinionated man within whom can be detected a streak
of sadism. He is a humorless man who is intolerant of opinions other than his own and accustomed to forcing
his wishes and views upon others.
JUROR NO. 4: Seems to be a man of wealth and position. He is a practiced speaker who presents himself well
at all times. He seems to feel a little bit above the rest of the jurors. His only concern is with the facts in this
case, and he is appalled at the behavior of the others.
JUROR NO. 5: A naive, very frightened young man who takes his obligations in this case very seriously but,
who finds it difficult to speak up when his elders have the floor.
JUROR NO. 6: An honest but dull-witted man who comes upon his decisions slowly and carefully. A man who
finds it difficult to create positive opinions, but who must listen to and digest and accept those opinions offered
by others which appeal to him most.
JUROR NO. 7: A loud, flashy-handed salesman type who has more important things to do than to sit on a jury.
He is quick to show temper, quick to form opinions on things about which he knows nothing. Is a bully and, of
course, a coward.
JUROR NO. 8: A quiet, thoughtful, gentle man. A man who sees all sides of every question and constantly
seeks the truth. A man of strength tempered with compassion. Above all, he is a man who wants justice to be
done and will fight to see that it is.
JUROR NO. 9: A mild gentle old man long since defeated by life and now merely waiting to die. A man who
recognizes himself for what he is and mourns the days when it would have been possible to be courageous
without shielding himself behind his many years.
JUROR NO. 10 An angry, bitter man. He is man who antagonizes almost at sight. A bigot who places no
values on any human life save his own, a man who has been nowhere and is going nowhere and knows it deep
within him.
JUROR NO. 11: A refugee from Europe who has come to this country in 1941. A man who speaks with an
accent and who is ashamed humble, almost subservient to the people around him, but who will honestly seek
justice because he has suffered through so much injustice.2
Juror NO. 12: A slick, bright advertising man who thinks of human beings in terms of percentages graphs, and
polls and has no real understanding of people. He is a superficial snob, but trying to be a good fellow.
ACT 1
Fade in on a jury box. Twelve men are seated in it, listening intently to the voice of the judge as he charges
them. We do not see the judge. He speaks in slow, measured tones, and his voice is grave. The camera drifts
over the faces of the jurymen as the judge speaks, and we see that most of their heads are turned to camera’s
left. NO. 7 looks down at his hands. NO. 3 looks off in another direction, the direction in which the defendant
would be sitting. NO. 10 keeps moving his head back and forth nervously. The judge drones on