Twelve Angry Men

by

Reginald Rose

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Twelve Angry Men makes teaching easy.

Twelve Angry Men Characters

Foreman

The leader of the jurors who facilitates the process of voting and discussion. The Foreman believes in the guilt of accused for a majority of the play. He is not particularly intelligent or actively involved… read analysis of Foreman

Three

A strong-minded, loud-mouthed, prejudiced man. Three is the final holdout in claiming the accused is guilty at the end of the play. His strong belief in the guilt of the youth seems to stem from… read analysis of Three

Four

A self-confident man who is clearly used to being listened to, Four is identified by marks of wealth and intelligence. Although he is a strong supporter of the guilt of the accused until nearly the… read analysis of Four

Five

A young man whose youth shows in his timid nature. He quickly desires to vote not guilty, but only has the courage to do so when following Eight and Nine’s lead. He cowers under… read analysis of Five

Seven

A ridiculous man whose “guilty” vote seems to rest more on indifference than prejudice. Seven is the juror who continuously expresses a desire to wrap up the process quickly and leave. He is loud and… read analysis of Seven
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Eight

The central character in the play, Eight is the only juror to initially vote “not guilty.” This vote, which prevents an immediate unanimous guilty decision, and his insistence that the jurors commit time and effort… read analysis of Eight

Nine

An elderly, good-natured man, Nine is compassionate and thoughtful, unlike many of the other jurors. He is the first to change his “guilty” vote to “not guilty” during the secret ballot vote. He does so… read analysis of Nine

Ten

The most prejudiced and cruel character in the play, Ten is driven by a deep-seated “us versus them” complex concerning rich and poor. He speaks of the accused and people like him, from poor backgrounds… read analysis of Ten

Eleven

An immigrant from somewhere in Europe, Eleven exhibits an awareness of, and awe for, the idealistic principles behind the American legal system. He changes his “guilty” vote quickly, after defending the right of any man… read analysis of Eleven

Twelve

A man who is defined by his job in advertising, Twelve is shallow and a snob. He maintains his vote of “guilty” more out of the comfort of maintaining his opinion than any other reason… read analysis of Twelve

Accused kid

Although the accused youth never appears as a character on stage, discussion of his actions and motivations drives the play. The youth is referred to as a “kid” by many of the jurors. He grew… read analysis of Accused kid

The old man downstairs

A weak elderly man who offers a significant piece of testimony in court. The man walks with two canes. Juror Nine proposes that the old man testifies because he needs to be seen and heard… read analysis of The old man downstairs

The woman across the street

A neighbor of the accused kid, this woman testifies in court that she saw the murder occur through the windows of the passing train. Her testimony is brought up as suspect by some jurors… read analysis of The woman across the street

Judge

A minor character whose offstage voice sets the context for the play by reminding the jurors of their legal responsibilities in this case. The judge establishes the charge as “murder in the first degree” and… read analysis of Judge
Minor Characters
Two
An indecisive man whose opinion is easily swayed by Eight and by Four. He changes his guilty vote to not guilty based on the calm and persuasive conduct of Eight and the angry conduct of Three.
Six
An average man who is honest, yet unremarkable. He changes his vote from guilty to not guilty, but he does not exhibit the prejudices, flair, or loud-opinions of the other jurors. One of the quietest of the jurors.
Murdered father
The crime at the heart of the play is the accused kid’s stabbing of his father. Little is known about the father, other than that he and the kid didn’t get along.
Guard
A minor character who assists at the door of the Jury Room by procuring the requested items of evidence for the jurors’ examination.