Reading Guide
Name:_______________________
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Character Chart Twelve Angry Men by REGINALD ROSE
Imagine, then, on the screen of your mind the scene described at the start: a courtroom, with the area, or box, in
the front 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.
FOREMAN: A small, petty (unimportant) man who is impressed with the power (authority) he has and handles
himself quite formally. Not overly intelligent, but strong-willed.
JUROR NO. 2: A meek (mild), hesitant man who finds it difficult to keep any opinions of his own. His mind is
easily changed, and he usually just takes the opinion of the last person to whom he has spoken.
JUROR NO. 3: A very strong, very forceful, extremely opinionated man within who shows cruelty. He is a
humorless man and is intolerant of opinions other than his own. He is used to forcing his wishes and views
upon others.
JUROR NO. 4: Seems to be a man of wealth and position. He 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 shocked by
the behavior of the others.
JUROR NO. 5: A easily pushed, very frightened young man who takes his responsibilities in this case very
seriously, but he 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 have positive opinions, but he listens to and accepts other’s opinions if they go along with his
thinking.
JUROR NO. 7: A loud, flashy salesman type who has more important things to do than to sit on a jury. He is
quick to show temper and quick to form opinions on things about which he knows nothing. He 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 and 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 wishes he could be courageous.
JUROR NO. 10 An angry, bitter man. He is man who provokes almost at sight. He is a bigot (ignorant/racist)
who places no values on any human life except his own. He is a man who has been nowhere and is going
nowhere and knows it deep within him, which bothers him.
JUROR NO. 11: A refugee (an immigrant who left his country because of a war) from Europe who has come to
this country in 1941. A man who speaks with an accent and who is ashamed, humble, almost obedient to the
people around him, but who will honestly seek justice because he has suffered through so much injustice.
JUROR NO. 12: A slick bright advertising man who thinks of other people as numbers and possibly money
makers. He has no real understanding of people. He is a phony snob but tries to be a good guy.
Judge
Guard
Clerk
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Character Chart- Who votes which way & when?
Juror
1st Vote
Identity
1
The Foreman
2
The Bank Clerk
3
The Father
4
The Stockbroker
5
The Kid from the Slums
6
The Working Man
7
The Salesman
8
The Architect
9
The Old Man
10 The Bigot
11 The Immigrant
12 The Ad Man
12 Angry Men: First Homework
 I am juror number ____________.
 On a separate sheet of paper, you will make a character
card of your character. Please include all of these pieces.
o Your juror number and nickname.
o A large face that has an expression on it that
illustrates your description.
o Three words that describe your character.
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2nd Vote
Final Vote
Order he Voted Not Guilty
12 Angry Men: Compare and Contrast Your Character to Another
You will compare and contrast your character to another character in the play. After you write down all the similarities and differences in the correct boxes, you
and your partner will discuss topics that these two characters could talk about, middle section. Then, you will discuss and write down topics that these
characters might disagree or argue about, outside sections.
Juror #
Juror #
_________What Juror #______& _________
Juror #______ Have in
Common:
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Legal Vocabulary to Know:
Alibi: A claim that someone was somewhere else when a crime is said to have taken place.
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: to find someone guilty, the jury has to have this, which
means that there is no other explanation except that the defendant committed the crime
Defendant: The person who is on trial and will be found guilty or not guilty
Defense: The lawyer who represents the defendant and tries to defend him/her
Deliberate: To discuss
Double Jeopardy: Being tried for same crime twice
Guilty: Responsible for the crime
Innocent: Not responsible for the crime
Juror: A person who sits on a jury and decides the defendant’s guilt or innocence
Jury: A group of people (typically twelve in number) sworn to give a verdict in a legal case
using the evidence submitted to them in court.
Premeditate: To plan ahead of time
Prosecutor: The government lawyer who tries to find the defendant guilty.
Reasonable Doubt: Standard of proof used in criminal trials
Verdict: Result or decision of a court case
Story Vocabulary to Know:
Appalled: Shocked or dismayed
Bigot: A person stubbornly attached to particular opinions, prejudice, racist
Compassion: Caring; Sympathetic and concerned
Intolerant: Not putting up with something or not accepting of others
Opinionated: Stubbornly sticking to your own opinion
Slum: A poor city area
Unanimous: All in agreement
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Act I
1. Describe the setting of the play, remembering that the setting is the time and the place of the story.
2. Juror #7 seems to be in a hurry to get out. Where is he planning to go? ______________________
3. How old is the young man who is on trial? ___________What is he accused of doing?
4. What is the background of this young man as reviewed by Juror #8?
5. Do you think that someone’s background is important when looking at his or her actions?
6. Which juror initially votes "Not guilty"?
7. Juror #8 reminds Juror #2 of the rights of the accused under the 5th Amendment. What are those rights?
8. Juror #4 points out the boy's alibi. What is an alibi?
9. Where was the boy supposedly when the murder took place, and why does #4 find the alibi “flimsy”?
10. Juror #10, the nose-blowing bigot, refers to the witness. Who supposedly saw the killing, and under what
circumstances?
11. How does Juror #8 make #10 angry in reference to the above question?
12. When Juror #3 points out "the kid's record," what personal complaint does he share?
13. Why does Juror #5 get upset when #10 shows prejudice against people from slum areas?
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14. According to Juror #4, the boy left home at about eight after getting into a fight with his father. What did he buy, and
what did he claim happened to his purchase?
15. How does Juror #8 surprise the other jurors?
16. What does Juror #8 propose in regard to a second ballot? Will he participate?
17. Which Juror do you think will change his vote next?
18. REACT: Do you find the fact that the characters do not have names confusing?
19. REACT: How would you vote at this point? GUILY
YES
NO
NOT GUILTY
Act II
1. Which juror hot-headedly and incorrectly accuses #5 of changing his vote? ____________ This shows what about his
personality?
2. Who did change his vote, and why?
Juror ___________ changed his vote because ______________________________________________________ .
3. Juror #7 says, "Look, supposing you answer me this. If the kid didn't kill him, who did?" What is #8's response?
4. According to #3, the old man who lived on the second floor underneath the victim's apartment had heard the boy
scream, "I'm gonna kill you," at about ten till midnight. What did he claim to hear about a second later, and what did he see
fifteen seconds later?
5. The “el” train through which the woman claims to have seen the killing had five cars. Through which windows does she
claim to have seen the killing and what does that show about her?
She claims that she saw the killing though car number _______, and this shows that she ____________________
________________________________________________________________.
6. What do Jurors # 12 and 3 do to make #8 upset?
7. Why does Juror #8 doubt that the old man really heard what he claimed?
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8. What explanation does #9 give as to why the old man might have lied?
9. What characteristic does #9 have that makes him a good judge about the old man lying?
10. Why does Juror #8 dismiss the phrase "I'm gonna kill you"?
11. What is ironic, or surprising, about Juror #10's being corrected by Juror #11?
12. Who speaks out and changes his vote next? _________________________
13. #8 says the old man who claims to have seen the accused run out had two strokes in the past three years and walked
with a pair of canes. Requesting a diagram of the apartment, what does he go on to prove about the fifteen seconds the old
man says passed until he saw the boy run out?
14. As the act ends, what does #8 ironically point out to #3 when the latter yells, "Let me go! I'll kill him!"
15. Why has #3 become so angry at #8? (Write in a complex sentence using because.)
16. REACT: Are you surprised that some jurors are changing their verdicts? Explain.
Act III
1. What is the result of the open ballot demanded by #3? _________ guilty, _________ not guilty
2. Juror #2 is bothered by the stabbing angle. Why?
3. Who offers to demonstrate that the stabbing could have happened, and what tense moment occurs?
4. What insight is Juror #5 able to offer because of his “slum” background?
5. How does Juror #11 discipline #7 when the latter offers to change his vote?
6. Who are the three remaining “guilty” voters? ________, ________, & _________
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7. How do the jurors react when #10 shows his bigotry (prejudice)?
8. What does Juror #4 say is the real damning evidence against the boy?
9. How does Juror #6 tell us more about the situation when #4 removes his glasses?
10. Who is the last juror to change his vote? What in his background might explain his stubbornness to do this?
Other Vocabulary:
Naïve
Marked by unaffected simplicity
Tempered
Softened or moderated
Bigot
An intolerant person or a racist
Superficial
Concerned only with what is on the surface; shallow
Acquit
To set free in a trial
Obligations
Commitment or promise
Defeated
Beaten down
Refugee
Someone escaping from another country
Subservient Servant-like; groveling
Reasonable Fair judgment;
Mourn
To grieve someone's death
Sadism
Get pleasure from inflicting pain
Coroner
Doctor who examines dead bodies and determines cause of death
Reform School/Juvenile Detention - prison like school for teens meant to reform bad teens into
good teens.
Coincidence A random concurrence of events or circumstances that are connected
Hung jury
A jury that cannot vote unanimously
Rapport
A close and harmonious relationship
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Movie Vocabulary:
abstain to voluntarily withdraw
ad-lib invent conversation
antagonize to act against someone; to act hostile toward
close-up zoom in
compassion sympathy
coroner medical officer for the dead
cut (in camera language) to stop filming one area and going immediately to another
deliberate on purpose; to think about carefully
dialogue conversation
drab dull
grand jury a jury that decides if the evidence warrants formal
charges upon which persons are later tried
homicide murder
hung jury a group of jurors who are unable to reach a decision
incredible unbelievable
insignificant unimportant
naive sometimes lacking understanding
pan (in camera language) to scan across
perjury lying under oath
petty jury a regular twelve person jury
premeditated planned in advance
rapport non-verbal relationship
reasonable doubt doubting whether something proved in court was true
recognition being known for
sadist one who takes pleasure from cruelty
sheepishly cowardly; shyly
subservient useful in an inferior way
superficial only concerned with the obvious or apparent
verdict decision
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