By Reginald Rose

Pre-reading Task

Twelve Angry Men is a play that was originally a live television broadcast on CBS’s show Studio One in 1954.

Two years later, Reginald Rose wrote the screenplay for a film version.

In the play, eleven jurors believe the defendant in a capital murder trial is guilty, while one juror stands up courageously for what he believes is justice, and tries to persuade others to his way of thinking.

“Murder in the first degree is the most

serious charge tried in our criminal

courts. One man is dead. The life of

another is at stake. If there is a

reasonable doubt in your minds as to the

guilt of the accused, then you must

declare him not guilty…”

Inspired by Rose’s own experience of jury duty on a manslaughter case in New York City.

“the moment I walked into the courtroom… and found myself facing a strange man whose fate was suddenly more or less in my hands, my entire attitude changed.”

He was impressed by the gravity of the situation, the somber activity of the court, and the “absolute finality” of the decision that he and his fellow jurors would have to make.

Since no one other than the jurors had any idea of what went on in a jury room, “a play taking place entirely within a jury room might be an exciting and possibly moving experience for an audience.”

Twelve Angry Men is a character driven

play. • That means that the theme and plot unfold as we

get to know the characters. Although they are

only known to us by numbers, their personalities

are distinct, and the interaction between

characters is worth our focus.

1) Discuss which juror you would want on a

jury if you were charged with a crime.

Explain why.

2) Discuss which juror you would not want

on a jury if you were charged with a

crime. Explain why.

3) We will be reading the play aloud in

class. Which juror would you most like

to be assigned? Explain.

The Jurors

The jury foreman is a small,

petty man. He is impressed

with his new authority. He is

not overly smart, but

persistant.

Juror two has difficulty

thinking for himself. He

is easily swayed - goes

with the majority.

Juror three is strong and

opinionated. He is

potentially sadistic. He is

Humorless and intolerant

of others’ opinions.

Juror Four is man of wealth

and power in society. He

is a good public speaker

and feels he is better than

the other jurors. He is

concerned with the facts of

the case.

Juror five is a naïve and

frightened young man. He

finds it difficult to speak

up with the older people.

Juror six is honest but not

too bright. He comes to

decisions slowly.

Juror seven is a loud, flashy

salesman. He has more

important things to do. He

is a bully and a coward.

Juror eight is quiet and

thoughtful. He seeks the

truth and wants justice to

be done.

Juror nine is a mild and

gentle old man. He is

simply waiting to die and

feels defeated by life.

Juror ten is angry and bitter.

He is a bigot (prejudice) and

selfish.

Juror 11 is a refugee from

Europe (came to USA 10-15

years earlier) and has an

accent. He is humble and

almost subservient to

others. He has suffered

injustice himself.

Juror twelve is a slick and

bright advertising man. He

is kind of a snob, but tries to

be a good person.

1) Discuss which juror you would want on a

jury if you were charged with a crime.

Explain why.

2) Discuss which juror you would not want

on a jury if you were charged with a

crime. Explain why.

3) We will be reading the play aloud in

class. Which juror would you most like

to be assigned? Explain.

Pick any three of the words below.

Provide:

a) Part of speech

b) Definition

c) A created sentence that demonstrates

your understanding of the word

Premeditated

Subservient

Prosecution

Acquittal

Homicide

Fifth amendment

Sermon

Sadism

Reasonable doubt

Genre: drama

Setting: A jury room of a New York court of law; a very hot summer day in 1957. Takes place during the Civil Rights Movement.

Stage Directions:• Stage directions are written in italics and describe what’s happening

with the characters, the setting and the action of the play. They are not spoken by actors.

• Sometimes, these stage directions appear inside parentheses to show that the direction goes along with the character who is speaking. When the stage direction appears inside brackets, that direction goes with more than one character.

Dialogue:• Dialogue comes after a character’s name but does not appear in

quotation marks. It should be read in a conversational voice.