Twelve Angry Men
Reginald Rose
Year 12 English and ESL
Text Study
Reading and Responding
Ekaterina Xanthopoulos
‘The true administration of justice is the firmest pillar of
good government’
Scales of Justice
Images – discuss these
And more
Life in the1950s
Reginald Rose
1920-2002 and born/grew up in New York
 Enlisted and served in WWII until 1946
 Wrote since being a teenager, for TV plays,
many plays made into films and TV series
 1954 – first time called for jury duty –
manslaughter case – eight hours before
unanimous vote – wrote Twelve Angry Men as
live one-hour legal drama which later
became a film
 Won many awards, such as Emmys

Setting
1957 - ‘A very hot summer afternoon’
 In a jury room of a New York Court of Law
 Described as ‘scarred table’
 ‘a large, drab bare room in need of painting’
 Oppressive, stifling: ‘The Guard exits and in
the silence the sound is heard of the door being
locked.’
 ‘It has grown considerably darker in the room
and it’s oppressively still.’
 Jurors at times move to washroom

Plot/synopsis
Young man accused of ‘murder in the first
degree – premeditated homicide’
 Twelve jurors locked in a jury room to
determine if there is a ‘reasonable doubt’
 Initially all but one juror find him “Guilty” but
with discussion, arguments and persuasion – all
change to “Not guilty”
 Question ability of defence counsel and
accounts of witnesses as well as use of
evidence – also strip away layers of prejudice,
artifice, ‘fancy’…

What is reasonable doubt
“Reasonable Doubt” is explained thusly:
“That state of minds of jurors in which they
cannot say they feel an abiding conviction as
to the truth of the charge.”
Source: Charles Montaldo
In
the play, both the jurors and audience
must decide in the end if they agree – never
given proof of the defendant’s innocence
100%
GKR: “Guilty”

Oxford English Reference Dictionary
definition: ‘Law: adjudged to have
committed a (specified) offence, especially
by a verdict in a trial’ (1995)
1. PARAPHRASE THIS
MEANING
2. WHAT IS YOUR MEANING?
3. LIST 3 SYNONYMS and ANTONYMS
Vocabulary – add more to list
word
defendant
counsel
witness
prosecutor
hung jury
premeditated murder
METALANGUAGE
script
dialogue
props
stage directions
meaning
synonym
Characters
Why are they anonymous?
 Why are there 12 people in a jury?
 Why is the first juror called FOREMAN
and what are his duties?

In groups of three, quickly research and
discuss these questions and report back
to class – 10 minutes
What motivates a character?
Fear
Relationships
Desire
Values/Morals
Actions
Family
Security
Politics
Greed
Money
Status
Power/Authority
Love/Lust
Hatred
Gender
Culture/History
Emotion
Understanding/Interest
Spiritual/Religious
Ignorance
Experiences
Themes/Ideas/Views and Values
Justice and the court/jury system – jury’s
deliberation and decision
 What is truth – is it fallible?
 Memory – witness accounts
 What is a fact – can details be ‘twisted’?
 Prejudice
 Stereotypes and class
 ‘Reasonable doubt’ VS certainty
 Historical Context: McCarthyism - use
of trials in 1950s AND use of television
drama

Genre and structure
Drama – serious play
 Realism and Naturalism – explore daily
life – a ‘slice of life’ – 1950s movement
 Legal drama but also about interactions
between characters
 Two acts and all characters remain on
stage despite washroom visits
 Employs Aristotle’s ‘unity of action, place
and time’ – less than a day

Language and Dialogue
Natural – language patterns of era and
geographical setting of the play
 Working-class men yet different ie some
‘white collar’, share cultural interest in
sport and film – same vernacular: ‘…ought
to be down in Atlantic City at that
hairsplitters’ convention.’
 Use legal terms comfortably: ‘reasonable
doubt’, ‘defendant’, ‘counsel’, ‘evidence’

Play Techniques
Setting – description of room
 Props/sets – bare, minimal
 Costume – clothing of JURORs
 Stage directions – what they do
 Stage – of jury room and washroom
 Lighting – darkening ‘It is now darker than
before’ – due to weather and atmosphere
of tension
 Sound – Judge’s voice, etc.

What to do:
Read the play at least twice
2.
Summarise in point form each scene
3.
Takes notes on each character
4.
Collect quotes and group them under headings
5.
Ask yourself: What is the message or point of this play?
What questions does the plot raise?
6.
Answer the set questions
7.
Vocabulary
8.
Reflect upon each reading and how your views/readings
change
9.
Which character do you like/dislike the most? Why?
10. How does the language in the play influence and position
the audience? What about the stage directions and props?
1.