12 Angry Men

Understanding the characters

Juror No. 1 The (Aspiring) Foreman

He is an assistant high school football coach He is taking effort to be restrained. He is being
cautious not to sound too very authoritative. Im not gonna make any rules followed by ground rulesforce of habit. He knows he has the official authority

He does his duty but gets frustrated when he doesnt

get the response his authority deserves.

Juror No. 2 The Diffident One

He works at a Bank. He is shy and begins a couple of
times saying I dont know. He is the kind of person people walk over and the kind to often go unnoticed. raises his eyebrows and crouches his neck- a sign that shows an inferiority complex.

He doesnt emphasise his feelings or his thoughts. He He is constantly defensive. He is the one who has been bullied in the backyard at

school through his childhood. He is holding a position at the bank which too doesnt empower him- may be that of a clerk or a cashier.

Juror No. 3 The Distraught Father

He is a father whose son was soft at heart as a child and as father he beat his son to become tougher. His son got tough enough and punched him in the chin before leaving him Two years ago. He sees everybody in one light- they think I am wrong He is striving to prove himself right. He is stubborn as he believes in the widely propagated Men are supposed to stone hard and devoid of emotion and the only permissible emotion is anger. He is old fashioned in his thinking than most others in the room. He tries to put his foot down in most arguments. He is quite the bully. Could be he was a Jock in his school and now has people working for him. Possibly a businessman where he is used to barking things at his employees. He likes shouting, making a big deal out of molehills. The words he speaks are always loud and an aim to draw attention.

Juror No. 4 The Rational One

He is a Broker at the Stock Exchange. He keeps reiterating the facts. He has a very good stock of all the facts. He uses rational reasoning to explain his view. He is quite calculative and knows to accept reason. He is a tough one to understand. He maintains demeanour. He breaks a sweat when he is questioned about the days passed and when his memory fails him. He is not used to this happening. He is possibly a sharp student in school. The one who kept the company of other intelligent children. Went on to study in an Ivy league school and from then went on to becoming a broker. His attire suggests good pay. He is wearing a shirt all the way up and gives his statements with a certain conviction in his voice which could come only with great self knowledge and self discipline. He sees numbers and speaks OneTwo

Juror No. 5 The Man with a Rough Childhood

He is a Baltimore Fan- as it has been compared with
Yankees it is safe to assume it is another baseball team

He had a rough childhood while growing up in the

slums. He is silent and interjects only when he is confident of being right. He doesnt boast of his hardship as it must remind him of some things he would like to forget. He knows to handle a knife.

He ignores mockery. He is reasonable and is very

tolerant. He is thoughtful- mindful not so much. But he processes facts placed before him. His mind is like the brokers.

Juror No. 6 The Principled One

He is a house painter by profession He is thoughtful and has a deep value system. He is
protective of the weak and is ready to throw a blow at anyone who bullies them.

He is not confident being in the jury. He knows the

stakes. He wants to do justice to the job he has been given. He is used to reporting to an official authority

He speaks well about people all through. He says he is a

working man- places himself as a more handyman than a thoughtful person. He sees himself as more practical and is not into suppositions.

Juror No. 7 The Wanna Be

He is a salesman by profession. He speaks plenty. The true
take away from his words are very few. He fills the air with clutter. very involved in the jury work. He is the ball that rolls to the heavier side without much thought. metaphors a counter argument to everything presented before him. He marginalises facts to make his point. he uses is very street.

He likes sports and is very loyal to the Yankees. He is not His job teaches him to offer a second line of thought state This kid is five for 0 odds are million to one- the language

Juror No. 8 The Architect

He is an Architect by profession and even in this scene He is cautious about the facts. He wants to eliminate
he is an architect. He has the unofficial authority in the room through the scene. doubt. His style of speech is slow and measured. He is certain that he is uncertain. And till his uncertainty is eliminated he doesnt wish to give his vote to a death sentence. He is respectful but not much of his true self is revealed in his way. the work at the centre except to get people back in line. He does this without being obvious

He does not talk about himself. He does not stray from

Juror No. 9 The Old Man

McCardle is an Old man who is sharp and wants to
share his wisdom hence wants to be heard. But he knows that people do not always want to hear the rambles of an old man and is very careful to interject only as when need arises.

He is judgemental and tries teaching lessons. He doesnt

appreciate being interrupted. He speaks from experience.

Juror No. 10 The one who wants to be heard

He is a garage owner and is a loud mouth. He often crosses the lines of social decorum when he speaks
specially with his comments on slums. He is hell bent upon making others listen to him.

When people walk away from him he is broken. He seeks

unofficial authority because of his age. He feels he is unlike everybody else.

takes around the cigarette smoke. That could explain his irritability. The heat seems to affect him plenty too.

Possibly has emphysema- considering the deep breaths he He does not like being cross examined. He would like to have
his way. Im telling You is a favourite phrase. He believes in stereotypes.

Juror No. 11 The Foreigner

He is a foreign watch maker. He doesnt want to trod
on other peoples toes. He is careful to chime in when somebody speaks along his lines of thought but doesnt gather the nerve to start speaking openly till later in the night.

Pardon me and presenting Notes- the accent would

place him in Germany or Hungary or Poland or Czech Republic. He need not be loyal to one side or not. Emphasis on Defend. Considering the timing of this scene- the world war II was just over and these words were imprinted in his mind.

Juror No. 12 The One Liner Man

An advertising agency executive (filter on the cigarette
leads me to think executive)

He is proud of his success. He narrates from his past. He is also good at placating problems. He quenches quite
a few fights that go on in the room. His hair is well parted and his appearance well groomed. He fits the profile of a typical advertising agency employee of that age as generally portrayed.

He is a generic person- nothing too special about him.

He tries to make things about him special in the process