A verdict of guilty appears obvious for the jurors who all desire to get out in the humid, hot room (it is "the hottest day from the year") and return to their regular activities as soon as possible. "It's an open and shut case," declares Juror No. 3. An initial vote has 11 voting guilty and one dissenter, Juror No. 8 who believes that previous to you sentence an individual to death you should discuss and deliberate. It is not that Juror No. 8 believes the defendant is innocent; rather he believes that they ought to talk within the situation and make sure that if a guilty verdict is issued, it's beyond a reasonable doubt. The principle of reasonable doubt is in accordance with the U.S. Constitution, and Juror No. 8, an architect and educated, reasonable man, tells the others "we're talking about somebody's life here. We can't decide in five minutes. Supposing we're wrong?" Another jurors, however, feel it is an open and shut case and do not would like to take the time to discuss the case. The dramatic conflict from the play is set up by the anger the jurors consider over the one holdout. Quite a few of them also feel angry to serve jury duty.
The jurors, as all juries, represent a disparate group. At the time the play is set, however, an all-male, all-white jury was the norm to your capital offense. Whether this jury represents a jury of the peers for ones poor, Puerto Rican defendant is an additional story. Inside a sense he is an outsider to these men, someone from one more socio-economic class who doesn't.
The relationship among characters and the set is strikingly highly effective inside the play's final scene. Jury duty is finished and all of the jurors have left except Nos. 8 and 9. They walk over on the coat rack to have their jackets, as well as the old man, Juror #9 asks No. 8, the juror who created them all think about justice more than their individual needs and quirks, what his name is. The a couple of men exchange names, shake hands and leave. The brief walk towards coat rack offers them the opportunity to emotionally encounter every other as human beings who have completed a task well done. Justice has been served.
On Twelve Angry Men. Russ Munyan, ed. San Diego, CA:
In designing the stage set for Twelve Angry Men, the size with the jury room has to be taken into account. The visual strategy with the set in its entirety should be to create a claustrophobic mood. Mainly because the entire stage will likely be utilized, so that you can show how modest a jury room is, a large-sized rectangular table with a single chair at the head for your foreman, one chair at the opposite end, and five chairs every on each side. If the furniture is big enough, the "room" space will appear cramped.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Reginald Rose
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