Have you ever read something and thought, “Wow that just changed my
entire perspective on this”? Well, there is only one drama that comes to mind,
written by the one and only Reginald Rose, and it goes by the name of Twelve Angry
Men. With Rose’s use of suspense and plot twists, this play is very compelling and
keeps readers eager to know what happens next.
Twelve Angry Men concentrates on a jury's decision in a capital homicide
case. A 12-man jury is chosen to deliberate on the first-degree murder trial of an 18-
year-old Latino allegedly stabbing and killing his father. A guilty verdict results in a
definite sentence to the death penalty. The defendant poorly justifies himself and is
against all odds; particularly because
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Juror #8, the juror who didn’t vote guilty, originally bases his vote more so
for the purpose to at least confront about the case before immediately voting. As the
consultations unfold, the story rapidly turns into an investigation of personalities
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and personal biases are revealed through their emotional reactions and past
hardships.
Reginald Rose precisely defies the normal expectations of a murder case in
the judicial system and ultimately proves that things are more than meets the eye.
The plays theme can best be described as justice. Every person no matter of what
race, gender, religion, or social status should the right to a fair trial. In any case the
defendant is always innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Only Juror #8 was
willing to contemplate on the case before giving a young man the death penalty.
While this drama focuses on several characters, the two most involved
characters can be narrowed down to Juror #3 and Juror #8. Juror #3 is a
businessman and an overwrought father who has a bad relationship with his